Germany's ruling coalition has agreed on a plan to shut down all its nuclear power stations by 2022.
The far-reaching decision immediately impacted leading German energy companies, as their shares slumped by about 2 per cent on Monday.
Announcing the outcome of a crucial meeting of the center-right coalition, Environment Minister Norbert Rottgen said that six nuclear power plants would go offline by 2021, and three plants would serve as a backup in case of energy shortages and would only be shut down a year later.
He made it clear that there was "no clause for revision" for the extension of nuclear power plants beyond 2022.
Seven oldest reactors, which were already subject to a moratorium, and the Kruemmel nuclear power plant, would not resume operations.
The government also considers keeping 2,000 megawatts of capacity, equivalent to two power stations, on standby after the shut-down date in case of emergency, an idea which experts consider difficult to put into practice.
Coalition leaders met at Chancellor Angela Merkel's office in Berlin on Sunday to hammer out a deal to close down all nuclear power stations within a decade, bowing to the nation's fear of a repeat of Japan's Fukushima disaster.
Business supporters of the government had urged caution, warning power shortages could cripple industry, while Germany's nuclear industry has argued that an early shutdown would damage the country's industrial base.
The agreement emerged after 12 hours of negotiations between Merkel and the leaders of the three coalition partners - Merkel's Christian Democrats (CDU), the Christian Social Union, and the pro-business Free Democrats (FDP) - that lasted into the early hours of Monday.
Also involved in the talks were the chiefs of the two main Opposition parties, the Social Democrats and Greens. Merkel has said she aims to draft a bipartisan policy to end a dispute that has split Germans since the 1970s.
In October last year, German Parliament passed a nuclear bill to extend the life of Germany's nuclear reactors by up to 14 years, ignoring opposition by environmentalist Greens.
Both the CDU and FDP suffered state election losses on March 27, while radical anti-nuclear group Greenpeace took control of the Christian Democrat stronghold of Baden-Wuerttemberg.
The Fukushima nuclear power plant disaster triggered by the March earthquake and the ensuing mass anti-nuclear protests in Germany prompted Merkel to form an ethics panel to look into the government's nuclear power policy and to make recommendations.
A 17-member panel of bishops, academics and other community leaders recommended to Merkel on Saturday that Germany make its nuclear exit within a decade, closing eight plants now and the other nine gradually.
The panel's detailed findings are to be made public later on Monday.
Germany relies on nuclear power for 23 per cent of its energy needs. Under a new program, gas-fired plants and wind turbines will make up for the nuclear-generated electricity.
For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com
June 05, 2026 16:18 ET A busy week for economic news flow saw a slew of reports being released that reflected the trends in the U.S. labor market. In Europe, economic growth and inflation data gained attention as the European Central Bank and Bank of England head for policy session later in the month. In Asia, the monetary policy session of the Indian central bank was in focus as the country, a major oil importer, reels under the pressures of a weaker rupee and rising inflation.