After the meeting he had yesterday in Prague with the German chancellor, the Czech prime minister said that Berlin must definitely consider extending the period of time that the nuclear plants will remain in operation, at least for a few months.
Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala has urged Germany to keep its last three nuclear plants operating beyond their scheduled shutdown at the end of 2022.
After meeting German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Prague on Monday, Mr Fiala said that Berlin should definitely consider extending the time the nuclear power plants will remain in operation, at least for a few months.
Energy prices in Europe started to rise since last fall. But their rise accelerated sharply after the Russian military invaded Ukraine on February 24 and the European Union began processes to phase out its dependence on oil and gas imports from Russia.
“We agreed that a pan-European solution should be found to ensure lower energy prices,” said the Czech prime minister, referring to his meeting with the German chancellor.
The Czech Republic depends on nuclear power and, unlike its neighbor, plans to increase the capacity of its nuclear power plants.
The share of nuclear energy in the EU member state’s energy mix is expected to exceed 50% in 2040, based on the government’s plans in Prague. To achieve this goal, the construction of new nuclear reactors is expected to begin.
The last three nuclear power plants in operation in Germany are planned to be shut down for good at the end of this year, as part of the policy summed up as Energiewende (“energy transition”) drawn up during the days of Mr Scholz’s predecessor, the Angela Merkel.
But a growing number of politicians, including members of Mr Solz’s governing coalition, have recently come out against shutting them down, saying they offer an alternative as Moscow drastically cuts gas flows.
RES-EMP
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