Bild: German nuclear plant operators urge Merz to support reactor restart

The managers of Germany's decommissioned nuclear power plants have called on Chancellor-designate Friedrich Merz to support the reactivation of the country's nuclear energy sector, according to a report published by Bild on June 25.

The appeal was made in a letter addressed to Merz, in which the signatories urged the German government to back the restart of nuclear power stations that were shut down as part of the country's nuclear phase-out policy.

According to Bild, the letter was also sent to Germany's Minister for Economic Affairs and Energy Katherina Reiche and the leader of the CDU/CSU parliamentary group in the Bundestag, Jens Spahn.

The authors of the letter argued that German-designed nuclear reactors continue to be built and operated abroad, including in Switzerland, the Netherlands, Brazil, Argentina, and Spain. They also stressed that the most recently closed German nuclear power plants could still be brought back into operation from a technical standpoint.

Germany's decision to phase out nuclear power was adopted in 2011 under the government of Chancellor Angela Merkel following the accident at Japan's Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.

By 2022, only three nuclear power plants remained operational in Germany: Isar 2, Neckarwestheim 2, and Emsland. Their operating lifetimes were extended until April 2023 amid energy supply concerns triggered by the halt of Russian gas deliveries. The plants were subsequently shut down and permanently removed from service.