Germany’s Nuclear Energy Refusal Policy: from Conflict to Compromise

Abstract

The article is devoted to the analysis of the political process of Germany’s abandonment of nuclear energy. The results of a comparative analysis of government decisions taken over the course of one decade, but different in nature and having different consequences for the nuclear industry are presented in the paper. Special attention is paid to the issue of interaction between the government and energy companies in the context of the decisions of 2002 and 2011. It is shown that the abandonment of atomic energy in 2002 was a compromise solution, taking into account both the political desire of society to stop the operation of the nuclear power plant, and the economic interests of energy concerns. The author analyzes the consequences of the unilateral decision of the FRG government in 2011, infringing on the interests of the nuclear lobby, which led to many years of litigation that ended in favor of energy concerns. A review of the final compromise agreements between the companies and the government governing the issue of fair compensation for the early shutdown of nuclear power plants was carried out. Based on a comparative analysis of the two decisions on Germany’s withdrawal from nuclear energy and their consequences, it is concluded that, when entire industries are closed for political reasons, consultations with the involvement of all interested parties are necessary to work out an acceptable compromise.