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Workshop

The Nuclear Puzzle - German and U.S. Perspectives

Arnold Vaatz, MdB

The Konrad Adenauer Stiftung and DHL held a round table discussion on June 7th, 2011, with a member of Chancellor Merkel’s visiting delegation, the Honorable Mr. Arnold Vaatz, and U.S. experts on energy, transportation, and infrastructure polices.

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The Konrad Adenauer Stiftung and DHL held a round table discussion on June 7th, 2011, with a member of Chancellor Merkel’s visiting delegation, the Honorable Mr. Arnold Vaatz, and U.S. experts on energy, transportation, and infrastructure polices. Members of the panel included energy industry leaders, representatives from several think-tank organizations and a former Member of Congress.

In the discussion, among other points of interest, questions and concerns were raised about nuclear energy use in Germany and the United States. With the recent disaster at the Fukushima nuclear power plant, and with rising fuel prices, a discussion about the future role of nuclear power has began anew in the U.S. as well. Given this backdrop, Mr. Arnold Vaatz, Member of the Bundestag, provided a German viewpoint on the nuclear issue, as well as helped to shed light on the recent decision by Chancellor Merkel and her cabinet to speed up a previous decision of phasing out nuclear power use in Germany.

The discussion began with a general outline of the current energy situation in Germany and the respective policies that have led to the decision to hasten the closure of all nuclear power plants. Members of the panel were very interested to find out about the dynamics of the debate inside Germany, particularly the different opinions and concerns focusing on nuclear power. Currently, 60 percent of all Germans are against further use of nuclear power, as Mr. Vaatz mentioned.

The panel also discussed alternative energy sources and if they would have the capacity and structure to match the energy output of nuclear power, as well as whether or not relying on and expanding alternative energy resource would be costly and time consuming. Discussions also touched upon a carbon ‘Cap and Trade’ policy in Europe for the buying and selling of carbon credits, likened to a failed U.S. plan to implement carbon trading. A comprehensive U.S. energy policy, under President Obama, has yet to make it through Congress.

Monetary costs were also mentioned, including the possible expense that may be incurred with abandoning nuclear power for alternative sources or decommissioning existing nuclear plants, and whether or not alternative energy sources would be able to reliably replace the energy output of nuclear power plants in a cost effective way.

Members of the panel also raised questions with regards to energy independence, the retention of German competitive advantages and the possibility of relying on foreign sources of energy. Additionally,

there was a focus on the current energy policy in Germany. One of the issues, as described by Mr. Vaatz, is that alternate forms of energy production, such as wind power, cannot be used to guarantee a secure

energy base, one that is usable at all times. Nuclear power in Germany accounts for 49 percent of all energy usage, and alternative energy at the moment is unable to substitute this output continuously. Therefore, the future of role of subsidies and incentives will have to be reassessed.

The panel also raised questions as to whether or not it would be possible to maximize the use of nuclear power plants for the next 15-20 years, while developing more cost-effective means for transitioning non-continuous energy sources into continuous energy providers. The conversation closed with a voicing of several questions and concerns with regards to the possible future liabilities that may be incurred by the German taxpayer.

In conclusion, the discussion showed the similar yet multifaceted challenges that both Germany and the U.S. face with regards to energy security policies of the future. Not only are different answers found on how best to deal with nuclear power in Germany and the U.S., but the very debate inside both countries pertaining to nuclear power is much more differentiated than previously perceived by either country.

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Venue

Washington, DC

Speakers

  • Arnold Vaatz
    • MdB
      Contact

      Dr. Lars Hänsel

      Dr

      Head of the Department Europe and North America

      Lars.Haensel@kas.de +49 30 26996-3526

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