Germany-Energy-Nuclear
The planned nuclear phase-out is seriously jeopardizing Germany's economic boom, Economic Minister Michael Glos told the Sunday daily Bild am Sonntag newspaper.

"The absurd atomic exit is increasingly threatening the (economic) boom, climate and consumers. Safe German nuclear power plants have to be kept online, so we can confront rising electricity prices," the minister said.

He called for a complete review of Germany's energy policy, saying his ministry was involved in drafting a raw material and energy policy.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Wednesday renewed her warning against phasing out nuclear energy by the year 2021.

It does not make any sense to shut down nuclear power plants to purchase atomic electricity from the Czech Republic, France and Finland, Merkel was quoted saying in Berlin.

German nuclear reactors are among the safest in the world, she added.

Germany's largest state, Bavaria, covers 60 percent of its energy needs through nuclear energy.

As part of a grand coalition agreement with its junior coalition partner, the Social Democrats (SPD), Merkel's Christian Democratic Union (CDU) has agreed to back the gradual nuclear phase-out during this legislative period which is to end in the fall of 2009.

Earlier this month, the chancellor had stressed her determination to reverse a decision by the former government to phase out nuclear energy by 2021.

Talking at a recent meeting of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and its Bavarian sister-party, the Christian Social Union (CSU), in the southern town of Erding, Merkel called the policy of exiting from nuclear energy "absolutely wrong."
She urged a rethinking of the decision which would mothball all of Germany's 17 atomic power plants
Merkel made clear that nuclear energy could also help contribute to affordable energy prices .

German nuclear power plants account for 26 percent of the nation's energy consumption.

Germany's atomic reactors are still working at full strength, having raised their electricity production in 2006.

German nuclear power plants generated 167.4 billion kilowatt hours of electricity in 2006, up from 163 billion kilowatt hours in 2005.