The German chancellor, Olaf Scholz, has opened this Wednesday to the possibility of extending the life of national nuclear power plants to protect himself from an energy crisis due to the cut in the supply of Russian gas. "It may make sense," Scholz said during a visit to the Siemens Energy plant in Mülheim, referring to the possibility of postponing the disconnection of the last three nuclear power plants in the country, which according to the calendar should take place at the end of this year. .
The possible postponement of the nuclear blackout divides the coalition partners of the Social Democratic chancellor. His partners in government, the Greens, reject him in principle, while the Liberals, the other leg of the Executive, support him. The Liberals are also considering the possibility of reactivating some plants that have already been disconnected, but are still technically capable of operating again, at least until 2024.
Before making a decision in this regard, it is necessary to have a specific evaluation of the existing supplies and reserves, Scholz recalled, also referring to the fact that for the time being the gas deposits continue to be filled for the winter.
The giant Gazprom completely suspended supplies through the Nord Stream gas pipeline for ten days in July, citing maintenance tasks and the lack of a turbine. The part was repaired in Canada and today it is in Germany, which accuses Russia of deliberately delaying its repatriation.
Moscow maintains a supply level of 20% through the gas pipeline, insisting on "technical problems" derived from maintenance tasks and that it does not have the turbine, for which it affirms that documentation is lacking to demonstrate that it is not subject to Western sanctions. Berlin assures that these documents are not necessary, since the turbine is not affected by the sanctions.
Thus, Scholz has blamed Russia for the delay in the delivery of the turbine and the blame for keeping supplies low without further argument. "It works," he said, from the Siemens facility. "The turbine is there and it can be delivered, but someone has to say 'I want to have it'."
A senior Gazprom manager stated that the handover of the turbine to Germany from Canada after maintenance work was completed was not in accordance with the contract. "The breach of gas supply contracts has no technical reason" -as Gazprom alleges to reduce the flow of gas-, the foreign minister added, demanding to resume the usual volumes.
