three-month shutdown of Germany’s oldest nuclear reactors pending a security review.

three-month shutdown of Germany’s oldest nuclear reactors pending a security review.

The explosions in the Japanese nuclear power plant, triggered by last week’s earthquake, have prompted 100,000 Germans to take to the street in protest at Dr Merkel’s government support for the nuclear energy sector.

After taking office, Dr Merkel’s administration set aside a proposal to make Germany nuclear-free by 2020, extending the life of ageing nuclear plants into the mid-2030s.

Dr Merkel reacted yesterday to the growing pressure with a temporary moratorium, during which she has called for a discussion about safety standards and Germany’s continued lack of a storage facility for nuclear waste.

“We are launching a safety review of all nuclear reactors . . . and all reactors in operation since the end of 1980 are to be idled a three-month moratorium,” said Dr Merkel.

“This moratorium will run until June 15th, after which we will know how to proceed.”

Energy companies criticised the move as “rash and expensive”, while the political opposition suggested it was a stunt ahead of state elections this month.

The seven reactors to be shut down have all been operational since before 1980; two are in the southwestern state of Baden-Württemberg where Dr Merkel’s Christian Democrats (CDU) are fighting for re-election on March 27th.

“This is election trickery,” said Sigmar Gabriel, head of the opposition Social Democrats (SPD), saying Dr Merkel would return after the election “and say that everything is okay and that German nuclear plants are safe”.