Chancellor Angela Merkel's Christian Democratic supporters campaigned ahead of last month's general elections on a platform of canceling a planned phase-out
– By April Murelio –
The new government in Germany has decided to prolong the country's nuclear era, an official of the junior party said Thursday. But a decision on a precise timeline has not yet been set. Sources say the new Merkel government, with the pro-business FDP as junior partner, will not try to build any new nuclear power plants for now.
Chancellor Angela Merkel's Christian Democratic supporters campaigned ahead of last month's general elections on a platform of canceling a planned phase-out of atomic power. That legislation would have the last reactor to go offline in about 2021.
Confirming details previously offered by sources, Gudrun Kopp, a negotiator on energy issues for the planned junior coalition partner, the Free Democratic Party (FDP), said agreement in principle had been reached in talks to allow the reactors to operate for longer.
Germany now has 17 licensed reactors at 12 locations. But some are offline for long-duration repairs. The coalition agreement is to fix all the key policies of the new Merkel government for the next four years.
Details on the plants, the operating times and distribution of additional revenues will be determined later, said Kopp.
The conservatives, comprising Merkel's Christian Democrats (CDU) and Bavaria's Christian Social Union (CSU), are in talks with the pro-business FDP to form a centre-right coalition.