I wrote here recently that the Germans, in the aftermath of the Fukushima disaster, are seeking the right path: phasing out nuclear power. What is astonishing to me, and gratifying beyond my fondest wishes, is that the whole country is embracing it. That means the public, and the Chancellor and her ministers, including the environment minister as reported here by the FT, and, get this: the German Association of Energy and Water Industries. You got that right: the trade association for the electric power industry in Germany is on board to phase out nukes by 2020, or only a few years thereafter. The association’s head, Hildegard Müller, a former politician and associate to Chancellor Merkel, has called for the phase out to go forward. An energy blog there said the association wants “Security of supply, climate protection and affordable energy prices…” during the transition. Not surprisingly, the two biggest German utilities, Eon and RWE, do not seem to be on board. You can’t have everything.
Anybody listening over here?