There were no safety reasons for shutting down nuclear power plants in Germany. This view was expressed by Mark Nelson, Managing Director of the American energy company Radiant Energy Group. Nelson pointed out that even some German political leaders opposed to nuclear energy acknowledged this.

Germany’s nuclear “era,” which lasted over six decades, came to an end in April 2023 when the country shut down its last three nuclear power plants. The government justified this decision based on ecological and safety concerns. However, according to a survey by the YouGov Institute, nearly two-thirds of Germans were against the closure.

Mark Nelson, Managing Director of Radiant Energy Group:

“I believe this decision was very hasty. Our country has many industrial facilities that rely heavily on a stable power supply due to high electricity consumption. We urgently need a unified solution. As for alternative sources, there are still many questions.”

“This isn’t really about ecology. As far as I know, the environmental impact of nuclear power plants is much lower compared to other types of power stations. The real issue is the need for fuel to operate them. Germany doesn’t have enough resources for this, which is why we rely on wind and solar energy.”

“I would have preferred to see the KKI-2 plant operational in Germany, as it’s considered one of the safest in the world. We shouldn’t have abandoned nuclear energy so quickly. All pros and cons should have been thoroughly weighed first.”

According to Nelson, coal-fired power plants produce nearly a thousand grams of CO2 per kWh of energy, while gas plants emit 400 grams per kWh. Nelson noted that renewable sources are indeed much cleaner, but the notion that they are carbon-free is misleading.

“It all depends on where you install the plant and where you source its parts. For example, if you buy a solar panel from China—which manufactures the majority of solar panels globally—and install it in an area with limited sunny days, over 25–30 years, that panel will have a carbon intensity of 20 to 100 grams per kWh. Wind turbines have a similar carbon intensity of 5 to 25 grams per kWh. By comparison, the cleanest operating nuclear power plants have a carbon intensity of 2 to 2.5 grams per kWh over their entire service life.”
The closure of nuclear power plants also impacted the German economy. Electricity tariffs increased after the reactors were taken offline. According to Nelson, keeping the plants operational could have saved Germany tens of billions of euros—not just for the companies running the plants but also for consumers.

“Even during historically low fossil fuel prices, electricity costs in Germany were among the highest in the world. This was due to Germany’s pursuit of more expensive ‘alternative’ energy sources to replace nuclear power plants. Eventually, when the last plants were shut down, Germany faced an energy crisis. Abandoning nuclear energy often shows a lack of understanding of the relationships between energy sources that Germany needs to support its export-oriented industrial economy. Not closing the nuclear plants could have provided a boost to industry, fostering further development and localization of production.”