Germany's phase-out of nuclear energy 'irreversible,' says Merz

Germany's phase-out of nuclear energy is "irreversible," Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on Tuesday, as the European Commission unveiled plans for the expansion of small modular reactors (SMRs).

After a meeting with Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš in Berlin, Merz said he shared European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen's assessment that the German move away from atomic power was a strategic mistake.

Germany's nuclear phase-out began in the wake of the 2011 Fukushima disaster in Japan, with the country's final power plants being decommissioned in 2023.

"The decision is irreversible," Merz said. "I regret that, but that's the way it is."

The German government is focusing on optimizing energy policy, Merz said, calling for grids to be expanded and the energy supply to be increased.

Merz's government has committed to the construction of new gas-fired power plants to serve as "backups" for renewable sources such as solar and wind power.

The comments came as von der Leyen unveiled her plans to expand nuclear energy production, including the deployment of SMRs, to ensure an affordable and climate-friendly electricity supply in the European Union.

"In the last years, we see a global revival of nuclear energy and Europe wants to be part of it," von der Leyen said on Tuesday at the second international summit on nuclear energy in Boulogne-Billancourt near Paris.