Germany plans to keep two of its three last nuclear power plants on standby until mid-2023—beyond their year-end closure deadline—to bolster its energy security through the winter. However, the declaration has prompted confusion within Germany’s nuclear industry, which says nuclear plants aren’t suited to perform as operating reserve.
Germany’s Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK) on Sept. 5 said it created a nuclear power plant deployment reserve that will keep the 1.4-GWe Isar 2 in Bavaria and the 1.3-GWe Neckarwestheim 2 in Baden Württemberg “available” until mid-April 2023 so they can contribute to the power grid in southern Germany over winter 2022/2023 if necessary.
