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Debate on Nuclear Power: Expert Council Demands Substantial Proposals from Wissing for Transport Transition

Once again, the embattled Transport Minister is suggesting an extension of the operating times for nuclear power plants to produce supposedly cheap electricity for electric cars. The council of experts sees this as a "smoke screen," considering the impact to be marginal. Much larger steps are needed in the transportation sector, primarily the elimination of fossil subsidies.

Double Gap: There is a significant discrepancy between Climate Protection Minister Habeck (left) and Transport Minister Wissing regarding the achievement of climate targets in the transport sector, paralleling the substantial CO2 gap in the sector. The FDP man advocates for more nuclear power to operate electric cars and considers this sustainable. | Photo: BMDV
Double Gap: There is a significant discrepancy between Climate Protection Minister Habeck (left) and Transport Minister Wissing regarding the achievement of climate targets in the transport sector, paralleling the substantial CO2 gap in the sector. The FDP man advocates for more nuclear power to operate electric cars and considers this sustainable. | Photo: BMDV
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Johannes Reichel

In the dispute over the extension of the operating times of nuclear power plants, which had actually already been settled by Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) through his directive authority, Federal Minister of Transport Volker Wissing (FDP) has now intensified the issue again. In the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, he called for an expert commission to examine how much longer operating times for nuclear power plants could contribute to making transportation more sustainable. In Wissing's opinion, nuclear power does not produce CO2, and electric cars could thus be operated in a more climate-friendly and cheaper manner compared to coal power, argued the FDP politician.

Expert Council: Transportation at Risk of Missing 2030 Targets by a Wide Margin

This was now categorically rejected by the deputy chairwoman of the specially established Climate Protection Expert Council of the federal government, who assessed the measures presented by Wissing in the transport sector as completely inadequate. The emissions gap is particularly "very, very large" in transportation, Berlin scientist Brigitte Knopf explained according to Süddeutsche Zeitung. By 2030, emissions could deviate by 260 million tons of CO2 from the original target, Knopf warned. "Small corrections won't get us there," the researcher further appealed. She did not see how nuclear power could help and described Wissing's repeated move as a "smoke screen." The electricity would only become minimally cheaper through an extension of operating times, and nuclear power is also not more sustainable. It is more plausible to boost renewable energies.

"And by the way, we do not have a problem of having too many electric cars and not knowing where to get the power for them. The problem is that diesel and gasoline cars are still being sold in this country," criticized the researcher.

She advocated for the abolition of company car and diesel privileges, a registration tax for combustion vehicles, or a city toll in large cities, and lamented that incentives were still being set in the wrong direction.

The Chancellor Had Already Decided

According to the Chancellor's directive vote, nuclear power in Germany would end on April 15, 2023. Wissing now opposed this and argued that if it could not be resolved politically, scientific clarification was necessary. The Transport Minister is obliged, after the negative vote of the Expert Council, to make further substantial proposals on measures in the transport sector, which also go beyond the quickly supplemented "immediate program." These too were deemed insufficient. Wissing now insists on changes to the Climate Protection Law to give the lagging sector more room for action.

Roll-Back: Discontent Among Coalition Partners and NGOs

At the lead Ministry of Economy and Climate Protection, headed by Robert Habeck (Greens), there is significant anger, with discussions of "diversionary tactics" from the FDP colleague. Green Party chairwoman Ricarda Lang reiterated that each sector must contribute to the climate goals set forth in the law. From the SPD, deputy faction leader Matthias Miersch stated that nuclear power is neither sustainable nor cheap. NGOs like the Federation for Nature Conservation are outraged; Wissing is attempting to distract from his failure to present solutions for the sector's problems, criticized Jens Hilgenberg, head of transport policy at BUND.

Translated automatically from German.
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