Government Won't Bend Nuclear Power Extension Rules, Roettgen Tells FAZ

The German government won’t circumvent the constitution in its decision on extending the operating life of nuclear power plants, Environment Minister Norbert Roettgen said in a Frankfurter Allgemeine interview.

Roettgen said the government will observe recommendations on an extension made by the Justice and Interior Ministries. Both ministries are assessing how long Germany can allow nuclear power plants to operate beyond the current shutdown date of 2022 without requiring a vote in the Bundesrat, parliament’s upper house, which is dominated by opposition parties.

“We’re united that we won’t overstep the ministries’ recommendations,” Roettgen was cited as saying. The Bundesrat represents Germany’s 16 states.

Chancellor Angela Merkel this week backed a 10 to 15 year nuclear power extension. Some legal analysts say that the constitutional role of the states in maintaining reactor safety may pose legal problems if an extension goes beyond 10 years.

To contact the reporter on this story: Brian Parkin in Berlin at bparkin@bloomberg.net

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