New German coalition seeks to reverse nuclear phaseout

German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s forming coalition wants to extend Germany’s nuclear reactor lifetimes and get rid of a law that stipulates a complete phaseout of nuclear energy. Spiegel Online reports:

Germany’s coalition talks aren’t yet complete. But a document from the negotiations shows that Chancellor Angela Merkel’s next government wants to jettison a law which limits nuclear reactor lifetimes and stipulates a complete phaseout of atomic energy by the early 2020s.It was clear from the moment that Germans voted the Social Democrats (spd) out of the government at the end of September that the country’s planned phaseout of nuclear energy was in danger. Now, according to documents from the ongoing coalition negotiations between Chancellor Angela Merkel and her likely new coalition partners the Free Democrats (fdp)—papers which have been obtained by Spiegel Online—the phase out of the phaseout is about to become official government policy.”Atomic energy will be required as a bridge technology until affordable, climate-friendly energy sources are reliably available in sufficient quantities. The limit on German reactor lifetimes to 32 years is thus rescinded,” reads the paper, which was hammered out by the coalition working group responsible for environmental issues.The plan to jettison nuclear power was passed in 2002 by the spd-led government under Chancellor Gerhard Schröder and his coalition partners the Greens. The limit on reactor lifetimes to 32 years foresaw Germany’s last nuclear facility shutting down by the early 2020s. During her first term as chancellor, Merkel agreed not to touch the issue, given that the spd was her junior coalition partner.Now that she is paired with the fdp, a party which has long expressed its opposition to backing out of the atomic power business, she has a free hand.

Increasing reliance on nuclear power is a way for Germans to reduce their reliance on fossil fuels—and on Russian energy. Germany imports about a third of its oil and natural gas from Russia.

Meanwhile, as Germany produces fissile material, it simultaneously increases its ability to manufacture nuclear weapons. In fact, back in 2004, German-Foreign-Policy.com reported that “Berlin now has sufficient weapons-grade material at its disposal to build its own atomic bombs” (June 11, 2004). In 2006, former German Defense Minister Rupert Scholz claimed that Germany needed to develop its own nuclear weapons in order to counter the threat posed by terrorist states.

To date, Germany’s official position has been that it has no desire to develop a nuclear arsenal. Yet a future administration may move in a different direction. The Bible informs us that Germany will soon consolidate its position as leader of a nuclear-powered European empire. As Germany gains greater control over the European Union—and nato—it will increase its control over the weaponry—nuclear and conventional—of member countries.

For more on the future of Germany, read “Germany in Crisis,” “Resurrecting! The Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation” and “Military Empowerment by Stealth.”