Criticism from Saxony of Czech plans for nuclear power plant

Plans for a Czech nuclear power plant near the border with Saxony have caused a controversial debate in the state parliament. Representatives of the Greens, the Left and the SPD vehemently opposed the project. The AfD came out as a supporter of nuclear power and would also like to build nuclear power plants in Saxony. The CDU warned against alarmism, as according to current plans, the Tušimice nuclear power plant around 16 kilometers from the border will not supply electricity until 2038, it said.

The Czech Republic announced its plans in May. Specifically, it concerns a so-called SMR nuclear power plant. The abbreviation stands for Small Modular Reactor - nuclear reactors with a reduced electrical output that can be operated individually or in combination with several units. The planned site in Tušimice near Chomutov is currently still home to a lignite-fired power plant. It is to be taken off the grid and demolished around 2030. Construction of the nuclear power plant is scheduled to begin in 2034.

Minister emphasizes good partnership with Czech neighbours

It is the Czech Republic's right to determine its own energy supply, clarified Environment Minister Georg-Ludwig von Breitenbuch (CDU). One should hold back with lectures. "We are now avoiding blowing the whistle of resistance." Saxony has a very good partnership with the Czech Republic and also works closely together in the field of nuclear safety. "We have built up trust, and we want to maintain this trust."

According to SPD politician Simone Lang, the people in the Ore Mountains are worried and concerned. The nuclear power plant in the Czech Republic should not turn Saxony into an experimental laboratory. An accident knows no borders. The question of a final repository is also unresolved in the Czech Republic. Fukushima and Chernobyl are not ghosts of the past, but a memorial, she said, referring to two devastating disasters at nuclear power plants.

Günther: The risk is never zero

The debate in the state parliament's topical hour was requested by the Greens. According to former Environment and Energy Minister Wolfram Günther, the dangers of a nuclear power plant cannot be completely controlled. The risk is never zero. Günther's colleague Thomas Löser called on the Saxon government to clearly formulate Saxony's interests in the course of the environmental impact assessment for the nuclear power plant.

In the afternoon, a motion by the AfD was still on the agenda in the state parliament, according to which the most recently shut-down nuclear power plants in Germany should be put back into operation.