Posted on 04/11/2023 5:34:50 AM PDT by McGruff
Germany will shut down its three remaining nuclear plants on Saturday, betting that it can fulfil its green ambitions without atomic power despite the energy crisis caused by the Ukraine war.
The cloud of white steam that has risen since 1989 over the river in Neckarwestheim, near Stuttgart, will soon be a distant memory, as will the Isar 2 complex in Bavaria and the Emsland plant in the north.
At a time when many Western countries are ramping up nuclear power in their transition to greener energy sources, Europe’s biggest economy is resolutely sticking to its plans — though not everyone is in agreement.
Germany has been looking to phase out nuclear power since 2002, but the decision was accelerated by former chancellor Angela Merkel in 2011 after the Fukushima disaster in Japan.
Fukushima showed that “even in a high-tech country like Japan, the risks of nuclear energy cannot be safely controlled”, Merkel said at the time.
The exit decision was popular in a country with a powerful anti-nuclear movement fuelled by fears of Cold War conflict and disasters such as Chernobyl.
(Excerpt) Read more at insiderpaper.com ...
You mean get on the train.
“Build Back Better” means destroying first.
“Note: Nuclear energy is Green. It’s not a Green thing. It’s a control thing.”
You are correct. The new reactors don’t melt down.
Proof that they’re all brainwashed idealogues. This is insane. If they haven’t learnt that energy diversity is necessary at this point then they deserve whatever happens.
The hypocrisy of Germany’s fear of civilian nuclear accidents while supporting a regime in Kiev that deliberately shells nuclear reactors.
All western reactors also have containment domes. Typically 6’ of reinforced concrete. Enough to handle a direct impact by a 747. At least that is what my former neighbor an electrical engineer who helped build the Seabrook power plant in NH told me.
True… I told a progressive that I would buy an ev if every state had as many nuclear energy plants as France.
That didn’t d not compute for her either.
“Proof that they’re all brainwashed idealogues”
WW II proved that. The Germans came close to getting communism to work in the DDR where Merkel grew up.
If there is a very slight safety risk to nuclear power I would bet that the German plants would be the safest in the world the way they run equipment.
On the other hand right next door the French generate 68% of their power from nuclear plants. If one of them goes bad the wind will blow the radioactivity right to the Germans.
So the Germans are relying on the French engineers and operators but don’t trust their own. Ludicrous!
Stupid krauts. Nobody ever accused them of having any common sense.
As much as I like nuclear, I’m afraid politically it’s too easy for the left to explain why it should be shut down, “cuz nuclear is dangerous, doncha know”. IMHO we should quit trying to find an energy source to placate the left. They made it clear that they won’t be happy. Look at how they vilify natural gas, which they used to say was “clean burning”.
What's funny is that if you watched any DDR Military parade, their soldiers looked like Wehrmacht soldiers and they even goosestepped like the Nazis.
It’s about power for the few at the top. It’s only a suicide for the great unwashed.
Meanwhile, China is planning at least 150 new reactors in the next 15 years, (with 15 under construction at this time) more than the rest of the world has built in the past 35.
Absolutely Spot On. No need for private transportation in their “15 Minute” cities. I found myself thinking the other day about how people would go for a Sunday Drive, just to get out and about and explore the beautiful world around them. Can’t have the unwashed masses doing that however, you know, where the elites might end up touching or otherwise encountering them. And the elites now, when they do go out, do so en masse to the same ‘events’ where they parade their superior wealth before each other. So much for heading out with a couple of sandwiches, a couple of beers, and a good friend/girlfriend to make one’s own unique memories. Ever grateful that I enjoyed years of that. Picnics, beaches, hikes to remote waterfalls, etc. All for the price of a couple gallons of gas.
“Nuclear power is the only thing that could have made EV’s work.”
The only “green” thing or some might say “semi-green”.
The German culture, basically an intelligent one, has a streak of a combination of stupidity and insanity. I think about the terrible governments they put in place (or tolerated) during the two world wars.
Lately they’ve lost sight of what makes the good life possible; specifically abundant electricity and transportation fuel.
And then comes Soviet-style Internal Passports.
And if you want to move to another location, you will have to get permission from the authorities.
Completely agree. I always wondered how the ‘Nazi thing’ happened. I’ve spent plenty of time working in Germany and with German’s in general and you learn they believe what media & State tells them...to the point of fault.
I had a discussion with them on the EU. They didn’t like me saying I thought it was an abomination, nothing but centralized planning by unelected bureaucrats. “But they ARE elected!!” was the response. When I argued that you don’t directly vote for them they replied, “so? we vote for the people that vote for them!”. Sigh. I then asked if they trust the politicians they DO vote for. Crickets. So how can you trust those that are a level removed from your voting? Crickets. ...we had similar results talking about the reliance on Russia for natural gas, they just couldn’t understand our concerns.
And yes, they’re brilliant engineers. I think the two go hand in hand, when you’re told to do something ‘properly and by the rules’ they do it - even when it is the government telling them, and it is done without question.
I also agree I’d rather have German’s running nuke plants vs. the French - the French don’t work enough hours, something is bound to go wrong ;)
“Will the last one out of the room please turn off the lights”
There won’t be any lights to turn off.
They could mandate everyone wear wool sweaters and rub balloons on them.
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