Söder plans Bavarian nuclear power comeback

MUNICH. Bavaria’s Prime Minister Markus Söder (CSU) has ventured a move to phase out nuclear power. “Bavaria is demanding that the federal government have its own state responsibility for the continued operation of nuclear power. As long as the crisis does not end and the transition to renewables does not succeed, we must use every form of energy by the end of the decade,” emphasized the head of state on Sunday in an interview with the Picture-Newspaper.

Bavaria wants to face up to this responsibility and operate state-owned nuclear power plants. “At the same time, we are pioneers in nuclear fusion research and are examining the construction of our own research reactor – gladly in cooperation with other countries,” announced the Christsoziale.

It cannot be the case that a country of engineers like Germany would give up “every claim to shape the future and international competitiveness”. “Our nuclear power plants are not museums, but an indispensable part of an affordable energy supply.”

While the German Greens “allowed themselves the luxury of flying blind in energy policy”, the FDP “once again found them too weak to prevent this historic mistake,” Söder complained. He called on the federal government to present an emergency plan for the immediate reactivation of the three nuclear power plants that were shut down on Saturday.

Hoping for a mild winter again would be “highly naïve and negligent,” warned the politician. Even the Federal Network Agency warns that the energy supply will not become a real challenge until next winter.

Söder had already contradicted the view on Friday that nuclear power had no future in Germany. “We need a new chapter, not forever, but it is necessary as a bridge,” warned the Franconian in the ARD daily topics.

In the past few weeks he had repeatedly campaigned publicly for the continued use of nuclear energy. During a joint visit with his cabinet colleagues to the Isar 2 nuclear power plant, he emphasized: “No future without energy: Switching off nuclear power is a serious mistake and a traffic light sin in terms of energy policy.” Bavaria will stick to nuclear research.

Söder had turned his own position on nuclear power by 180 degrees in the past. In 2011, as the state’s environment minister, he called for the nuclear phase-out at any price and even threatened to resign if this was not implemented by 2022.

If this date were exceeded, “this would have profound consequences” for the cabinet, as well as for him “very personally,” said the CSUer at the time. At the time, the FDP advocated longer running times for the piles. (fw)