Ms Lemke added that she expected Belgium to quickly begin the study of the cross-border impacts of this decision. The concern of the population around Aix-la-Chapelle – a German city located some 80 km from Tihange – must be taken into account, she insisted.
The German minister also rejected on Saturday the reasons for the Belgian decision.
“Even more in these times of crisis, I find that any extension of the life of nuclear power plants on the grounds of security of supply is not defensible”, commented Ms Lemke. “It can make us even more vulnerable.”
For her, the current international concern around Ukrainian nuclear power plants demonstrates the risk that this energy poses.
“We are in a situation where we have to make our energy supply very quickly resistant to crises. And it is by using more renewable energies that we will get there”.