The end of nuclear energy in Germany is disputed between the Greens and the FDP shortly before the last power plants are shut down. "The exit is above all a final entry: into a secure and low-risk, affordable and clean energy supply - into the age of renewables," said Green Party chairwoman Ricarda Lang of the German Press Agency.

According to Lang, this step lays the foundation for future prosperity and economic strength. "We are making ourselves independent of fossil fuels, of autocrats like Vladimir Putin, of unaffordable energy prices."

On the other hand, FDP General Secretary Bijan Djir-Sarai declared the shutdown of the last reactor on April 15 to be wrong. From the point of view of the FDP, continued operation of the nuclear power plants would be necessary for energy security and to avoid coal-fired power. "It is unfortunate that the Greens are blocking and not showing any understanding. We should also discuss the chances of new and safer nuclear fission and nuclear fusion technologies with an open mind," said Djir-Sarai of the German Press Agency.

"Emergency situations like those recently caused by the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine cannot be reliably predicted," explained the FDP politician. "That's why we have to get away from an energy policy that is sewn to the brim."

FDP presidium member Michael Theurer told the German Press Agency: "I am convinced that a secure and affordable power supply without nuclear energy is at risk for the foreseeable future." There are good arguments for a rethink in the federal government, too. "A new stress test is definitely required to rule out the risk of a blackout."

Deputy Left Chairman Lorenz Gösta Beutin called it "absurd" that the FDP was now talking about extending the term. "Nuclear power is unsafe and unaffordable. All energy must now be directed towards the expansion of renewable energies, towards an affordable and ecological energy transition." The fact that the last three nuclear power plants are now being shut down is "a reason to celebrate," said the nuclear specialist at the German Press Agency. "We thank the anti-nuclear movement for decades of commitment."

Majority considers nuclear shutdown to be wrong

According to the representative survey by the opinion research institute Insa for the "Bild am Sonntag", 52 percent of those questioned consider it wrong that the three remaining reactors will go offline next week. 37 percent think this is correct, 11 percent made no statement. CDU leader Friedrich Merz was again critical of the upcoming shutdown. "You will hardly find anyone abroad who understands that Germany is shutting down three safe, CO2-free power generation plants in the biggest energy crisis in decades and is back to coal and gas," he told the news portal "Web.de News".

Green Party leader Lang pointed to recent studies showing that renewable energies cost four times less to produce than nuclear power and provide long-term protection against foreseeable increases in oil and gas prices. "With the clear focus on renewable energies, on wind and solar, also on hydrogen, the traffic light strengthens the competitiveness of Germany as an industrial location and creates future-proof jobs."

Theurer, as state chairman of the FDP Baden-Württemberg, said that the Baden-Württemberg FDP had passed a resolution that should be submitted as an application to the federal party conference. "In it, we not only demand a new stress test, but we also demand that new fuel elements be procured and the lifetime of the existing nuclear power plants extended until 2026." The risk of bottlenecks in the power supply is highest in the south and south-west of Germany.