The German federal parliament on Friday authorised the postponement of the closure of nuclear power plants (NPPs) currently operating in the country, in order to avoid a potential electricity shortage. The extension of NPP operations had previously been agreed upon by the German coalition government.
A majority of Bundestag members supported amendments to the German Atomic Energy Act to allow the three remaining operational NPPs to run until 15 April 2023. The law also specifies that the operation of NPPs may not be extended beyond this date.
Nuclear energy provides 6% of Germany's electricity requirements, and given the current energy crisis, there have been long-standing disputes within the German government coalition regarding how to handle the last three German nuclear power plants.