Gas crisis fuels nuclear energy debate in German government

London (Platts)--5Jan2006

The gas supply dispute between Russia and Ukraine has reignited the
nuclear power debate in Germany, which has pledged to phase out all atomic
fuel by 2021.
     Germany, which imports about 35% of its 100-bil cu m/yr of gas demand
from Russia, should not turn its back on nuclear power, said its economics
minister Michael Glos in parliamentary debate Tuesday. Nuclear technology, he
added, was "fit for the future." "The minister has said that he hopes the last
word [on nuclear] has not been spoken and there was no harm in trying to find
out more," a spokesman for the ministry said Wednesday.
     The new "grand coalition" government between the ruling CDU and the SPD
party agreed late last year to uphold the so-called "atom consensus" agreed
between the previous SPD-Green party coalition with industry in 2001 to
withdraw the country's then 19 nuclear power plants after an average lifespan
of 32 years. Germany has since closed two reactors.
     Glos, who is a member of CDU partner, the CSU, has an ally in research
and technology minister Annette Schavan of the CDU, who warned against the end
of nuclear research. CSU chief and Bavarian minister president Edmund Stoiber
also supports Glos, saying the subject would be discussed next week in a
closed meeting of the federal cabinet.
     
     GLOS WANTS TO AVOID COALITION CONFLICT
     According to a report by the BBC Monitoring Service Wednesday, Glos
repeated his demand that, in view of the gas dispute, phasing out nuclear
energy must be rethought. He added though that his party wanted "fair" talks
with the SPD and did not want to start a coalition conflict.
     But SPD general secretary Hubertus Heil said the coalition treaty was
"very unequivocal" with regard to the nuclear phase-out, while parliamentary
state secretary in the environment ministry Michael Mueller, also of the SPD,
said the atom consensus was irreversible.
     "In the interests of the coalition succeeding, I can only advise Mr Glos
not to touch it," said Mueller. The future "really does not lie in nuclear
energy," he added, noting that worldwide uranium deposits would be exhausted
in about 25 years. Thus the energy policy of the future must concentrate, he
said, on energy efficiency and renewable forms of energy.
     The Federal Association of German Industry (BDI) supported the economics
minister's nuclear energy-friendly position. Carsten Kreklau, a member of the
BDI chief executive secretariat, said: "A balanced energy mix is part of a
reliable energy supply. Nuclear energy must play a role in this, also in the
future." 
     Ulrich Kelber, deputy chairman of the SPD Bundestag group, said giving up
nuclear energy had nothing to do with gas deliveries from Russia. "Mr Glos
should know when a battle is lost," said Kelber.

To find out more about the Russia/Ukraine gas dispute go to
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