Germany’s Conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party is considering restarting six of the country’s recently deactivated nuclear power plants. According to newspaper Handelsblatt on April 1, a new working paper of the CDU’s parliamentary group demanded an investigation on whether a reactivation of the power stations was technically possible and economically feasible. Christian Social Union in Bavaria (CSU) MP Andreas Lenz said: “The nuclear phase-out was a mistake. The longer we wait with reactivation, the more expensive and difficult it becomes.”
He added that Germany’s nuclear phase-out was unique among industrialised nations and had greatly impaired its competitiveness. A decision to return to nuclear power, though, might prove a stumbling block in the ongoing coalition negotiations between the CDU and the Social Democratic Party (SPD).
From a technical perspective, restarting operations of the plants should be feasible, according to Martin Pache, head of German operations for US nuclear company Westinghouse.
“The German installations have been running for 35 years in average. I do not see a reason which would preclude an extension by 20 years,” he said. Some German-designed reactors in the Netherlands, Switzerland or Spain had been running for 50 years already, Pache continued. “In the US already permits are extended to 80 years,” he added. In March 2025, the German Nuclear Energy Association also urged CDU leader Friedrich Merz to restart the six plants referenced in the new working paper.
He added that Germany’s nuclear phase-out was unique among industrialised nations and had greatly impaired its competitiveness. A decision to return to nuclear power, though, might prove a stumbling block in the ongoing coalition negotiations between the CDU and the Social Democratic Party (SPD).
From a technical perspective, restarting operations of the plants should be feasible, according to Martin Pache, head of German operations for US nuclear company Westinghouse.
“The German installations have been running for 35 years in average. I do not see a reason which would preclude an extension by 20 years,” he said. Some German-designed reactors in the Netherlands, Switzerland or Spain had been running for 50 years already, Pache continued. “In the US already permits are extended to 80 years,” he added. In March 2025, the German Nuclear Energy Association also urged CDU leader Friedrich Merz to restart the six plants referenced in the new working paper.


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