Energy Company RWE Confirms High Barriers for Continuing Nuclear Power Operations in Germany
RWE, a German energy supplier, has reconfirmed that significant hurdles would have had to be overcome for the continued operation of its nuclear power plants in Germany. “We had always emphasized that the continuation of nuclear power would have been a political decision” a RWE spokesperson told the “Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland”.
At the same time, it would have been accompanied by high regulatory, technical, and personnel barriers, the spokesperson added. These barriers, according to RWE, would also apply to the political debate over a potential return to nuclear power, with the dismantling of the facilities having already made significant progress. The company also hinted at the question of economic viability in the event of a return to nuclear power, stating that the end result would ultimately depend on answering the question of profitability.
A parliamentary inquiry committee in the German Bundestag is currently investigating the 2023 nuclear phase-out. The Union is criticizing the shutdown of the last nuclear power plants.
RWE has consolidated its nuclear energy division into the Nuclear GmbH, which is responsible for the decommissioning and dismantling of the power plants, including Biblis, Emsland, Gundremmingen, Lingen, and Mülheim-Kärlich, as well as the safe packaging of radioactive waste and the utilization of valuable materials from the decommissioning process.