Leading economic research institutes advocate letting the remaining nuclear power plants in Germany run longer. "Not only now over the winter, but until alternative power generation capacities have really been created in Germany," said economist Torsten Schmidt from the Leibniz Institute for Economic Research in Berlin.

Nuclear power is "a good tool to even out fluctuations in the electricity market." The federal government should use this longer than previously planned.

Economics Minister Robert Habeck currently expects two nuclear power plants to continue operating beyond the end of the year. His ministry is currently assuming that the “reserve” will be drawn and that the Isar 2 and Neckarwestheim nuclear power plants will continue to be connected to the grid in the first quarter of 2023, he said. The main reason for this is the tense situation on the French electricity market.