‘There’s a lot of posturing’: Europe’s nuclear divide grows as one plant opens and three close

(The Guardian, 21 Apr 2023) Europe’s first new plant in 16 years comes on stream in Finland day after Germany pulls plug on last reactors.

When Europe’s first new nuclear reactor in 16 years came online in Finland, it was hailed by its operator as a “significant addition to clean domestic production” that would “play an important role in the green transition”.

The opening last Sunday of the long-delayed Olkiluoto 3 plant, Europe’s largest, means about 40% of Finland’s electricity demand will soon be met by nuclear power, which the government says will boost energy security and help it achieve its carbon neutrality targets.

Across the Baltic Sea and just hours before the Finnish plant came on stream, Germany was finally pulling the plug on its last three nuclear power plants, shutting down the steaming towers of Isar II, Emsland and Neckarwestheim II reactors late on Saturday.

The environmental group Greenpeace, at the heart of Germany’s long-lived and powerful anti-nuclear movement, organised a party at the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin. “Finally, nuclear energy belongs to history,” it proclaimed.

External link

The Guardian, 21 Apr 2023: ‘There’s a lot of posturing’: Europe’s nuclear divide grows as one plant opens and three close