The Federal Environment Minister, Carsten Schneider of the SPD, has taken a hard line against proposals for small modular nuclear reactors, warning of the risks involved. Speaking to the partner newspapers of the “Neue Berliner Redaktionsgesellschaft” in their Saturday editions, he said that these reactors are still “dangerously hazardous”. He called the idea of small reactors a myth, noting that while they receive a lot of talk, the implementation repeatedly fails.
Schneider’s remarks directly counter his cabinet colleague, Federal Minister of Economic Affairs Katherina Reiche of the CDU, who had recently voiced support for such reactors. He pointed out that there are only a few prototypes at present and they are unlikely to reach the market soon. Even when they do, they would probably appear only sporadically and would require costly subsidies. Schneider stressed that, contrary to some assumptions, these reactors would not resolve the nuclear‑waste problem.
He urged that the energy transition need be given priority and accelerated, warning against “fake solutions” and calling for no “Potemkin villages”.