German MPs vote to extend lifespans of nuclear power plants
IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency
Berlin, Oct 28, IRNA -- German legislators on Wednesday voted in favor of government plans to extend the operation time of the country's nuclear power plants by an average of 12 years.
The vote took place following an emotional parliamentary debate and anti-nuclear
protests outside the parliament.
The opposition Green Party accused the center-right coalition of Chancellor Angela Merkel of acting unconstitutionally by rushing the bill through parliament.
Their motion to postpone the vote on the unpopular government initiative, however, was rejected.
Earlier in the day, a group of Greenpeace activists climbed onto the roof of the Berlin
headquarters of Merkel's Christian Democrats and suspended a sign from the roof lambasting the co-ruling party for its clientele politics on behalf of nuclear energy providers.
As part of the German government plans, the country's 17 nuclear power plants will run an average 12 years longer than planned.
Nuclear reactors built after 1980 will remain online for an additional 14 years, while the older models will stay operational for another eight years.
Germany was initially scheduled to close down all its reactors by the end of 2021.
However, under the new plan, the country is to generate electricity from its nuclear power plants until around 2040.
Critics of the deal point to constitutional questions which have yet to be resolved.
Germany has 17 active nuclear reactors, which in 2009 accounted for 22.6 per cent of the electricity generated in the country.
Slightly more than half of Germans support an end to the use of nuclear energy, according to various surveys conducted in recent months.
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