(de-news.net) – Jens Spahn (CDU) has called for renewed consideration of reentering nuclear power in Germany, citing foreign investment in new reactors and suggesting that restarting closed plants could be achieved at lower costs, estimated at nine to ten billion euros, as part of an energy security debate. The SPD rejects the proposal, with Dirk Wiese citing unresolved nuclear waste issues, high costs, safety concerns, and limits for near-term baseload supply, while favoring renewables supported by gas and battery storage.
Spahn, leader of the Union parties’ parliamentary faction, argued in Berlin that a number of other countries are currently committing substantial multibillion-euro investments to the construction of new nuclear reactors, and on that basis he has called for a renewed political reassessment of Germany’s potential reentry into nuclear power. In his view, this international trend underscores a divergence in energy strategy, while Germany, by contrast, could theoretically return previously decommissioned facilities to operational status with comparatively lower financial outlays. He referenced studies indicating that the restart of recently shut-down reactors could plausibly require between nine and ten billion euros, framing this estimate as evidence of a potentially manageable cost structure relative to new-build projects abroad. Spahn further presented the proposal not merely as a technical question but as one linked to national energy security considerations, arguing that it should therefore be subjected to a more comprehensive process of public and political deliberation, given its broader systemic implications.
These positions were firmly rejected by the Social Democratic Party (SPD), whose parliamentary managing director Dirk Wiese characterized the discussion as part of what he described as a recurring and largely unproductive cycle of debate. From his perspective, continued revisiting of nuclear reentry does not contribute constructively to energy policy planning. He emphasized that the long-term handling and final disposal of nuclear waste remains unresolved, presenting a persistent structural challenge that has yet to be conclusively addressed. At the same time, he maintained that nuclear energy continues to represent both the most expensive and among the most hazardous forms of electricity generation. Wiese additionally argued that nuclear power cannot realistically serve as a short- or medium-term instrument for securing baseload capacity, given the temporal and infrastructural constraints associated with its deployment. Instead, he reiterated that priority should be given to expanding renewable energy systems as a reliable and cost-efficient foundation, while modern gas-fired power plants and large-scale battery storage are intended to function as complementary stabilizing technologies within the broader energy mix.
Germany completed its nuclear phase-out in 2023, when the final reactors were taken offline as part of a policy trajectory initiated after the 2011 Fukushima disaster and progressively implemented over subsequent years.
Audio: TTSFree
