Germany Rethinks Nuke Shutdown Plan

(Berlin, Germany) Members of the Green Party are having fits after a coalition of government partners agreed on a new plan for shutting down all of Germany's nuclear power plants. It was agreed that German nuclear plants would continue to operate until the time when renewable sources of electricity can carry the load.

The working group of Christian Democratic Union, Christian Social Union and Free Democrat Party politicians said the extension of German nuclear power would be measured against international safety standards, and each power plant would be examined individually.

Details are thin, but according to the Berliner Zeitung paper, each atomic power plant would be licensed to run until the next safety inspection, and only allowed to continue if that was passed.

Frankly, the extension of life for the German nuclear industry was predictable. When the Green-backed measure to shut everything down was initially passed it was based on pie-in-the-sky wishes and hopes for growth in wind and solar energy. Unfortunately, the wishes and hopes have been slow to materialize.

In summary, German nuke plants will continue to operate and the Greens are royally pissed. Expect the save-the-planet crowd to take it to the streets.