A new poll in Germany shows that the majority of people are in favor of a return to nuclear power. That comes as nuclear energy has been a bone of contention between political parties seeking to form a coalition government.
The poll, conducted by Dusseldorf-based marketing company, Innofact, was released on Friday, according to Deutsche Welle (DW) broadcaster.
It found that 55% of the participants in the poll were in favor of a return to nuclear power, while 36% opposed the return. 9% of the respondents were undecided.
According to the poll, a total of 22% of the respondents said only the most recently shuttered reactors should go back online, and 32% said new reactors should be built.
The poll was released as Germany’s conservative bloc made up of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and the Christian Social Union in Bavaria (CSU) are in talks with the Social Democratic Party (SPD) to form a coalition government following federal elections in February to elect members of new German parliament called Bundestag.
Nuclear energy has been a main issue in German politics for some time, and it has now been a sticking point in the ongoing coalition negotiations.
The CDU/CSU bloc is looking into “whether a return to service for the most recently decommissioned nuclear reactors would be technically and financially feasible considering their current individual state,” according to DW.
The SDP says it is opposed to the policy of re-operating nuclear power plants. The German Green Party is opposed to the policy as well.
The SDP and The Greens, led by Gerhard Fritz Kurt Schröder, decided to remove nuclear energy reactors in 1998. Angela Merkel's government, comprised of CDU/CSU and the Free Democratic Party (FDP), extended the activity of these reactors in 2009.
9376**4194
Your Comment