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German nuclear plant operators have played down the idea of extending the life of the country’s last three reactors to ease the energy crisis exacerbated by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
With Europe’s biggest economy under pressure to end its reliance on Russian gas and thereby weaken the Kremlin's political bargaining power, Germany’s plan to scrap nuclear for good this December has come under fresh scrutiny.
Plans to fill the gap with renewable energy, and proposed terminals to receive liquefied gas from outside Russia, are some way from completion, and gas stocks will be low by next winter when the nuclear plants lose their licence to operate.
Guenther Oettinger, a former European energy commissioner from Germany, was among politicians from the opposition Christian Democrats to express interest in reviving a decades-old debate and postponing the phase-out.
But energy companies who operate the last remaining plants said their years-long preparations to switch off the reactors meant there was little room for manoeuvre.
The northernmost of the three plants, Emsland, will have used all its remaining nuclear fuel by the end of the year and an extension would “not be feasible just like that,” a spokesman for power company RWE told The National.
He said there would be “extremely high hurdles” to any delay, both technically and legally, because politicians would have to change the law that ordered the nuclear phase-out after the Fukushima disaster in 2011.
Another operator, EnBW, did not completely rule out an extension but said it was preparing to decommission its plant at Neckarwestheim and said its long-term strategy was based on the assumption that nuclear was on the way out.
In light of the war in Ukraine, it said it was willing to offer expert advice to the government on energy use and consider what was technologically feasible, but emphasised that current legislation did not allow for an extension.
The third plant, Isar 2, is operated by PreussenElektra and similarly could not continue operations without approval from parliament.
The recent return to power of the Green party, which was born in the West German anti-nuclear protests of the 1980s, means a wholesale rethink on nuclear power is virtually out of the question.
The Greens’ coalition partners, the Social Democrats and Free Democrats, likewise see the nuclear phase-out in response to the Chernobyl and Fukushima disasters as a done deal. Three plants were disconnected in December in the penultimate phase of the switch-off.
Although Economy Minister Robert Habeck, from the Greens, said he would not dismiss a short extension on ideological grounds, he sided with the operators in saying there was little prospect of making this happen in practice.
Mr Habeck cited France, Britain and Finland as examples of countries where energy prices were high this winter despite the use of nuclear power. Germany last month lost a battle with France over the EU's plans to designate atomic energy as sustainable.
The ministry says it can live without Russian gas for the rest of this winter and the coming summer, meaning the winter of 2022/23 is the point where a broader import strategy will be needed to keep the lights on.
The Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline from Russia has been suspended indefinitely - it is now uncertain whether it will ever come into operation - and there are calls from Poland to close the operational Nord Stream 1.
Although the EU says existing gas stocks and a favourable weather forecast mean it could ride out a Russian retaliation, its top energy official said the bloc would end the winter with an “exceptionally low” level of gas storage.
To add to the size of the task, ministers hope to bring forward the exit from coal power to 2030 rather than 2038, knocking out another energy source that supplied about 28 per cent of Germany’s electricity last year.
Gas imports by sea, rather than by pipeline from Russia, would require special terminals to handle liquefied natural gas which Germany does not currently possess. Chancellor Olaf Scholz told MPs at the weekend that two would be “rapidly built” on the northern coast.
But LNG is not politically uncontroversial either, because it might involve importing American natural gas obtained by fracking, a process criticised by environmental activists.
The government separately hopes to install solar panels on every suitable new roof and cover 2 per cent of Germany’s territory with wind turbines.
“The only forms of energy that don't belong to anyone, where nobody can say 'it’s all mine and I'm going to blackmail you with it', are wind and solar,” said Mr Habeck.
“They don't belong to anyone, they belong to humanity and you just have to catch them."
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Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
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MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Bayern Munich v Real Madrid
When: April 25, 10.45pm kick-off (UAE)
Where: Allianz Arena, Munich
Live: BeIN Sports HD
Second leg: May 1, Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid
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Three trading apps to try
Sharad Nair recommends three investment apps for UAE residents:
- For beginners or people who want to start investing with limited capital, Mr Nair suggests eToro. “The low fees and low minimum balance requirements make the platform more accessible,” he says. “The user interface is straightforward to understand and operate, while its social element may help ease beginners into the idea of investing money by looking to a virtual community.”
- If you’re an experienced investor, and have $10,000 or more to invest, consider Saxo Bank. “Saxo Bank offers a more comprehensive trading platform with advanced features and insight for more experienced users. It offers a more personalised approach to opening and operating an account on their platform,” he says.
- Finally, StashAway could work for those who want a hands-off approach to their investing. “It removes one of the biggest challenges for novice traders: picking the securities in their portfolio,” Mr Nair says. “A goal-based approach or view towards investing can help motivate residents who may usually shy away from investment platforms.”
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From Zero
Artist: Linkin Park
Label: Warner Records
Number of tracks: 11
Rating: 4/5
Expo details
Expo 2020 Dubai will be the first World Expo to be held in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia
The world fair will run for six months from October 20, 2020 to April 10, 2021.
It is expected to attract 25 million visits
Some 70 per cent visitors are projected to come from outside the UAE, the largest proportion of international visitors in the 167-year history of World Expos.
More than 30,000 volunteers are required for Expo 2020
The site covers a total of 4.38 sqkm, including a 2 sqkm gated area
It is located adjacent to Al Maktoum International Airport in Dubai South
The biog
Favourite book: You Are the Placebo – Making your mind matter, by Dr Joe Dispenza
Hobby: Running and watching Welsh rugby
Travel destination: Cyprus in the summer
Life goals: To be an aspirational and passionate University educator, enjoy life, be healthy and be the best dad possible.
The biog
Year of birth: 1988
Place of birth: Baghdad
Education: PhD student and co-researcher at Greifswald University, Germany
Hobbies: Ping Pong, swimming, reading
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Test
Director: S Sashikanth
Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan
Star rating: 2/5
Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
A new relationship with the old country
Treaty of Friendship between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United Arab Emirates
The United kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United Arab Emirates; Considering that the United Arab Emirates has assumed full responsibility as a sovereign and independent State; Determined that the long-standing and traditional relations of close friendship and cooperation between their peoples shall continue; Desiring to give expression to this intention in the form of a Treaty Friendship; Have agreed as follows:
ARTICLE 1 The relations between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United Arab Emirates shall be governed by a spirit of close friendship. In recognition of this, the Contracting Parties, conscious of their common interest in the peace and stability of the region, shall: (a) consult together on matters of mutual concern in time of need; (b) settle all their disputes by peaceful means in conformity with the provisions of the Charter of the United Nations.
ARTICLE 2 The Contracting Parties shall encourage education, scientific and cultural cooperation between the two States in accordance with arrangements to be agreed. Such arrangements shall cover among other things: (a) the promotion of mutual understanding of their respective cultures, civilisations and languages, the promotion of contacts among professional bodies, universities and cultural institutions; (c) the encouragement of technical, scientific and cultural exchanges.
ARTICLE 3 The Contracting Parties shall maintain the close relationship already existing between them in the field of trade and commerce. Representatives of the Contracting Parties shall meet from time to time to consider means by which such relations can be further developed and strengthened, including the possibility of concluding treaties or agreements on matters of mutual concern.
ARTICLE 4 This Treaty shall enter into force on today’s date and shall remain in force for a period of ten years. Unless twelve months before the expiry of the said period of ten years either Contracting Party shall have given notice to the other of its intention to terminate the Treaty, this Treaty shall remain in force thereafter until the expiry of twelve months from the date on which notice of such intention is given.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF the undersigned have signed this Treaty.
DONE in duplicate at Dubai the second day of December 1971AD, corresponding to the fifteenth day of Shawwal 1391H, in the English and Arabic languages, both texts being equally authoritative.
Signed
Geoffrey Arthur Sheikh Zayed
Gothia Cup 2025
4,872 matches
1,942 teams
116 pitches
76 nations
26 UAE teams
15 Lebanese teams
2 Kuwaiti teams
