The German Finance Minister, the liberal Christian Lindner, spoke out this Sunday in favor of interrupting the use of natural gas for electricity generation to avoid possible supply problems in the country.

In an interview with the tabloid “Bild”, he indicated that his cabinet partner, the green Robert Habeck, would have the power to adopt the corresponding provisions as Minister of Economy and Energy.

“We have to work to prevent the gas crisis from being compounded by an electricity crisis,” said the liberal minister, who advocated using other ways to generate power.

“There are many arguments in favor of not disconnecting nuclear power plants, safe and respectful of the environment,” assured the head of the Free Democratic Party (FDP).

While the Liberals, like the Conservative opposition, are in favor of extending the life cycle of the three reactors still in operation in Germany – which are scheduled to be disconnected at the end of this year – their government partners are divided.

The chancellor, the Social Democrat Olaf Scholz, has not made a clear statement on the issue and defends waiting for the results of the stress tests on the electrical system that are currently being carried out.

Also the heads of Economy and Environment, the green Robert Habeck and Steffi Lemke, are open to extending the life of the reactors for a short period of time in an energy emergency scenario, although at the same time they have been skeptical about to the usefulness of the measure.

However, both in the Social Democratic Party and among the Greens, many voices have been raised that categorically reject this possibility, and in particular in the ecological formation, such a decision would be opposed by the grassroots.

According to recent data from the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis), 15.2% of the electricity produced in Germany in 2021 was generated through gas, while nuclear power plants were responsible for 11.8% of the current.

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