For longer nuclear life, but against fracking: The head of the Southwest CDU demands that the country urgently prepare for an energy crisis in winter. And suggests a barter deal with the neighbor.
Stuttgart (dpa / lsw) – Baden-Württemberg’s Minister of the Interior Thomas Strobl considers longer operating times for nuclear power plants to be essential because of the energy crisis and the arguments against it are advanced. The head of the CDU state told the German Press Agency in Stuttgart: “It never made sense to me that in the worst of times, in the middle of winter, Neckarwestheim II should be taken off the grid, even though it could continue to run and generate electricity and help us to get through the winter.” In the southwest, it is about letting Neckarwestheim II continue for a few weeks or at most a few months. “It’s expressly not about getting back into nuclear energy,” Strobl clarified.
Strobl warns Habeck: No ideological decision
The CDU man warned Federal Minister of Economics Robert Habeck (Greens) against charging the stress test ideologically and preventing longer terms. “That would be negligent and wrong given the gigantic challenges we have in the energy sector this winter.” In this difficult situation, you have to look at everything pragmatically and free of ideology. “We could have started stretching operations five months ago, throttling the performance of Neckarwestheim II a little more in order to then be able to achieve higher capacities over the winter. In this respect, five months were unfortunately wasted, they were five months lost.”
Small tit-for-tat against Kretschmann
In a dig at Prime Minister Winfried Kretschmann (Greens), the Deputy Prime Minister said: “I am pleased that I am now also reading different headlines from the Greens than a few weeks ago.” In June, Kretschmann had said to the Southwest CDU’s demand for longer terms: “You can’t get any further with headlines alone.” It’s not going the way the CDU imagines it. At the weekend, Greens parliamentary group leader Andreas Schwarz declared his willingness to continue Neckarwestheim II if necessary. Kretschmann also wants to accept the result of the stress test.
The federal government is currently examining the security of the power supply in a stress test with a view to the coming winter. On this basis, she wants to decide whether the three remaining nuclear power plants, which are supposed to be shut down at the end of the year, should run a little longer.
How important is Neckarwestheim II for the energy supply?
Strobl complained that there were “a number of really stupid arguments” against longer terms, which also come from the Greens. So it is nonsense to claim that Neckarwestheim II’s contribution to the energy supply is negligible. “It is correct: Neckarwestheim II generated 11.2 billion kilowatt hours of electricity last year. That is the electricity requirement of half of the households in Baden-Württemberg.” Even in a throttled operation, the output is still of a considerable order of magnitude. Strobl proposes a barter deal with France: electricity for gas
The head of the CDU state pointed out that for many people in Baden-Württemberg, the basic electricity supply tariff would also increase by more than 30 percent on average. That’s why he is of the opinion: “Everything that saves energy and everything that produces energy safely and cheaply helps.” The French neighbors would not understand “that we shut down power plants that we may need in winter. The French have “a very big electricity problem, we have a gas problem” because of maintenance problems with their nuclear power plants. Strobl therefore said: “We could possibly The French help with electricity and the French help us with their gas in winter.”
Strobl, on the other hand, spoke out strictly against the extraction of natural gas using fracking technology. “Fracking will definitely not do us any good this winter or next winter.” First of all, the legal requirements would have to be created and then test drilling would be necessary. The discussion about fracking, which is mainly led by the FDP, is offbeat and very much to the detriment of Baden-Württemberg. “Because the possible gas deposits are mainly in the north-east of Lake Constance. But the drinking water for four million people comes from Lake Constance.” Strobl made it clear: “Lake Constance is absolutely taboo. Keep your hands off Lake Constance.”
The traffic light and the “hooliganism”
Strobl criticized the traffic light government’s handling of the energy crisis as “hooliganism”. “Every day a new proposal, every day from someone else. It’s traffic light cacophony, but no reliable crisis management and no reliable government.” In his view, there should have been a national energy summit long ago. He called on the government not only to stabilize gas wholesalers, but also to set up a rescue package for public utilities.
The deputy head of government swore the population to a hard winter. “It’s part of the truth to tell people that we can’t expand our consumption indefinitely. I also think that that doesn’t have to be a mistake. The resources on our earth, water, air and mineral resources are finite. And that’s why maybe it’s not a mistake if we’re more careful and aware of it. We may be forced to do it a bit this winter.”
