

Germany pledges to end all nuclear power by 2022 - nl
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-13592208

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sek
The ironic thing is, that the result of the anti-nuclear-power movement is
today that we have these old power plants instead of the modern and secure
ones.

The reason for recent movements is the success of the Green party, they won
the most recent state elections. Their method is in this matter primarily
exploiting the fears of the people. They also serve the need for moral
superiority. In the long run is this party damaging like extreme left and
right wing movements, who are not successful because of our history.

I am German btw.

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foob
I upvoted this because I think that it needs attention, especially amongst the
more tech/science savvy population of society. Nuclear power has the potential
to meet the energy needs of the human race for well over a century while in
the mean time we work out the details of more long term and renewable options.
It's also safer than many of the current energy sources so the way that the
public reacts to it is nothing less than a tragedy.

~~~
Kliment
Happening to live in Germany, and near a number of coal power plants, I am
shocked by how out of place I am here for not opposing nuclear power.

The short-term alternatives to German-produced nuclear power are mainly coal
power (due to massive coal resources in the area) and importing French nuclear
power (the French plants are older and many are on the French-German border).
I am not convinced that giving up German nuclear plants for French nuclear
plants (while keeping the risks due to their proximity and yet losing
regulatory control over them) is a good idea.

Long-term alternatives have suddenly had their funding withdrawn. The
renewable energy fund was financed by nuclear power plant operators as a
condition of their continued operation. The government, latching onto the
Fukushima accident, attempted to buy popularity for themselves by calling for
no longer allowing these plants to run. The plant operators promptly stopped
making payments into the renewable energy fund.

The nuclear plants in Germany are ancient and in terrible condition, and
provide around 20% of German energy. I do not think it's a tragedy that they
are getting shut down. But I see the insane, purely dogmatic opposition of any
new plants, as a national hysteria.

From a personal viewpoint, I get to breathe the coal dust, which is much more
damaging and releases way more radioactivity into the air than the nuclear
plants do. This is a real danger, an actual damaging factor, rather than a
risk. To me, expanding coal power production, which seems the most likely
scenario, is a nightmare.

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nasmorn
As an Austrian I can tell you exactly what will happen as we never built
nuclear power in the first place. The new NPP will be built in Poland or the
Ukraine and you will be importing the power. Best case with German financing
and thus German engineering, worst case financed by Gazprom to have Germany
even more at its whim.

Edit: Austria imports 10% of its power from Czech and Slovak NPP that we have
no financial interest in that were built after russian designs. But my fellow
countrymen will not be corrupted to pick the least bad of the options 1\. Cold
homes 2\. Old or unsafe NPP with no Austrian involvement 3\. Newer and
potentially much safer NPP to which we contribute some money

