On Saturday, the last three nuclear power plants in Germany ceased operation, signaling the end of the country's more than six-decade-long nuclear era. The use of nuclear power has been a controversial topic in Germany for a while. Some argue that it is not a sustainable or safe technology and that it distracts from efforts to accelerate the development of renewable energy.

However, some people believe that shutting down nuclear power plants is narrow-minded. They view it as a decision to cut off a dependable source of low-carbon energy precisely when significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions are necessary.

While these discussions continue to persist and despite the recent appeals to keep the plants running in light of an energy crisis, the German government has remained resolute.

According to Steffi Lemke, Germany's Federal Minister for the Environment and Consumer Protection and a member of the Green Party, "The German government's position is clear: nuclear power is not environmentally friendly, nor is it sustainable," she told CNN. "We are embarking on a new era of energy production."

"Decades in the Making: The Long-Awaited Plan"

The shutdown of three nuclear plants - Emsland, Isar 2, and Neckarwestheim - is the culmination of a plan that was initiated over two decades ago, but its origins go back even further.

During the 1970s, a robust anti-nuclear movement emerged in Germany. Various groups joined forces to protest against the construction of new power plants, citing concerns about the risks associated with the technology and, for some, its links to nuclear weapons. This movement led to the formation of the Green Party, which is now part of the governing coalition.

Opposition to nuclear power was further intensified by nuclear accidents, such as the partial meltdown of the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant in Pennsylvania in 1979 and the 1986 catastrophe at Chernobyl, which resulted in a cloud of radioactive waste that reached parts of Germany.

In 2000, the German government committed to gradually eliminate nuclear power and commence the closure of nuclear plants. However, when a new government took office in 2009, there was a brief moment when nuclear power appeared to receive a reprieve as a transitional technology to support the country's transition to renewable energy.

Subsequently, the Fukushima disaster occurred. In March 2011, an earthquake and a tsunami led to the meltdown of three reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi power plant. For many Germans, this was evidence "that assurances that a nuclear accident of a large scale can't happen are not credible," as per Miranda Schreurs, a professor of environment and climate policy at the Technical University of Munich, who spoke with CNN.

Three days later, Angela Merkel, the Chancellor at the time, who was previously pro-nuclear, delivered a speech in which she called the event an "inconceivable catastrophe for Japan" and a "turning point" for the world. She declared that Germany would expedite its nuclear phase-out, with older plants being shut down immediately.

The Russian invasion of Ukraine, on the other hand, brought about another unexpected turn of events. Concerned about the country's energy security in the absence of Russian gas, the German government postponed its plan to shut down the last three nuclear plants until December 2022. Some people called for a reassessment of the decision.

Nevertheless, the government refused to reconsider and only agreed to operate the plants until April 15.

It is a triumph for those involved in the anti-nuclear movement.

An Energy Source that Divides

However, opponents of Germany's decision believe that it is illogical to shut down a low-carbon energy source as the consequences of the climate crisis worsen.

Leah Stokes, a professor of climate and energy policy at the University of California, Santa Barbara, stated, "We need to keep existing, safe nuclear reactors operating while simultaneously accelerating the deployment of renewable energy sources as rapidly as possible," as per her conversation with CNN.

According to a study published last year, the major danger is that fossil fuels will fill the energy void left by nuclear power. Since the Fukushima disaster, the decrease in Germany's nuclear energy has mostly been offset by an increase in coal usage.

Germany has a plan to replace the three nuclear plants' electricity production, which accounts for around 6% of the country's total, with renewable energy sources, as well as gas and coal.

Coal, the most polluting fossil fuel, accounts for over 30% of Germany's energy supply. The German government has made controversial decisions to rely on coal to ensure energy security.

In January, environmental activist Greta Thunberg and other protestors attempted to prevent the destruction of the village of Lützerath in western Germany, where coal mining was planned to take place. However, their efforts were unsuccessful.

According to Leah Stokes, building new coal capacity goes against what is needed. Fossil fuels pose a threat to the climate and public health, as air pollution caused by these fuels is responsible for millions of deaths annually. Veronika Grimm, a prominent economist in Germany, suggested that keeping the nuclear power plants operational for an extended period would have given the country more time to transition to renewable energy sources, particularly as the growth of renewables remains slow.

Those who support the closure of the nuclear plants argue that it will speed up the phasing out of fossil fuels. Germany has committed to shutting down its last coal-fired power plant no later than 2038, with some areas aiming for a 2030 deadline. The country is also targeting 80% of its electricity to come from renewables by the end of the decade. Despite the increase in coal usage after Fukushima, the shutdown of nuclear plants has led to a surge in the development of clean energy, according to Schreurs. The closure can create an opportunity for more investment in the renewable energy sector, said representatives of Germany's renewable energy industry.

Simone Peter, president of the German Renewable Energy Federation (BEE), told that Germany's phase-out of nuclear power is a long-overdue and historic step towards renewable energy. She added that it is time to leave the nuclear age behind and transition towards renewable energy. Miranda Schreurs also highlighted the impact of nuclear power, including the carbon pollution from uranium mining and the risk of health complications for miners. Additionally, she stated that nuclear power creates a dependency on Russia, which supplies uranium for nuclear plants. France faced difficulties in nuclear power generation last year due to Europe's scorching heatwave, which caused the rivers used to cool reactors to become too hot.

A dilemma spanning millions of years

Germany now faces the challenge of figuring out how to deal with the hazardous and long-lasting high-level radioactive waste. The waste is currently stored temporarily near the decommissioned nuclear plants, but a permanent location needs to be identified where it can be safely kept for hundreds of thousands of years. The site must be deep, consisting of specific types of rock like crystalline granite, rock salt or clay rock, and must be geologically stable with no potential risks. The process of finding a permanent location is expected to be complex, time-consuming, and may take over a century. According to BGE, the final site selection won't happen until between 2046 and 2064, and after that, additional time will be required to construct the repository, deposit the waste, and seal it.

How are other countries approaching this issue?

Germany is not alone in its decision to phase out nuclear power. Other countries such as Denmark, Switzerland, Italy, and Austria have also taken similar steps. However, some countries still consider nuclear power as a viable energy option. The UK, for example, is currently building a nuclear power plant and has stated that nuclear energy plays a crucial role in creating secure, affordable, and clean energy in its recent climate strategy. France, which generates 70% of its electricity from nuclear energy, plans to build six new reactors, and Finland opened a new nuclear plant in 2022. Japan, which is still dealing with the aftermath of Fukushima, is also contemplating restarting its reactors.

The US, which is the largest nuclear power in the world, is investing in nuclear energy and recently launched a new nuclear reactor, Vogtle 3 in Georgia. However, experts suggest that this doesn't indicate a nuclear surge. The reactor came online six years later than scheduled and at twice the initial budget of $30 billion. This highlights the significant problem that the nuclear industry is facing with regard to cost-effectiveness. The construction of new plants can be expensive and take more than ten years to complete. Schreurs noted that even countries that support nuclear power are struggling to develop it. Many nuclear power plants around the world are aging, and their operating life is around 40 to 60 years. As Germany moves away from nuclear power, it is reaching a critical moment for other countries, according to Schreurs, as they need to decide whether nuclear energy really has a future.