Germany is dismantling its shut‑down nuclear power plants—yet it could bring them back online at a profit. The sooner the decision is taken, the cheaper and simpler it will be. Only getting nuclear back in the mix can resolve the energy crisis. A majority of Germans support the move; it is economically sound and technically feasible.

Goal: Solve the energy crisis

Germany’s Energiewende—the country’s distinctive energy‑transition programme targeting 100 % renewable sources—has pushed the nation to the edge of an economic disaster. The culprit is high energy prices caused mainly by replacing reliable, inexpensive nuclear power with intermittent wind and solar, backed by fossil gas imports. For two decades, the subsidies and additional costs of the Energiewende—including redispatch measures, storage and reserve plants—have run to roughly €25–30 billion per year. Yet the high costs are not offset by proportionate benefits. Because fossil fuels still provide the indispensable baseload for the grid, Germany’s emissions record is dismal. Further expanding wind and solar alone, without a climate-friendly baseload complement, will deepen the existing problems. Nuclear energy can fill this gap. By reactivating our reactors, we could supply large amounts of dispatchable, clean baseload from 2026, thus expand supply and cut electricity prices.

Fact: Backed by a majority

A survey by policy consultancy Radiant Energy found that 67 % of Germans want to keep using nuclear power, and 42 % even favour building new plants. Only 23 % are clearly opposed. Other polls—by Spiegel, Forsa, Forsa, and others—reach similar conclusions. People sense the imbalance: the economy is sliding, power bills are excessive. New subsidies can only mask the issue but not solve it sustainably; the solution is adding more reliable, dispatchable, affordable energy.

Fact: Economically sound

Depending on decommissioning status, restarting each reactor would cost €1–3 billion. After one‑off restart investments, experts expect operating costs of €22-30 per MWh. Microsoft recently signed a long‑term PPA at prices three to five times higher (USD 110 /MWh). Given the high prices large firms are willing to pay and total reactivation costs of roughly €20 billion, the case for returning Germany’s nine reactors is compelling. Even at a much lower offtake price of €60 per MWh, restarts remain attractive. Persisting with the phase‑out would incur double‑digit billions in dismantling costs – pure loss with no benefit.

Fact: Technically feasible

By 2028, three reactors adding 4 GW of firm capacity could be back on the grid. (For those who insist on comparing apples and oranges: this corresponds to the nominal output of 1000 wind turbines—though, averaged over the year, those turbines can only deliver 30% of that output, while the nuclear power plant delivers 90%—reliably and controllably.) If dismantling is halted immediately and staff rehired quickly, Brokdorf could return to service as early as 2026; Emsland and Grohnde by late 2028; six further reactors by the end of 2032.

What now?

Everything comes down to political will. The two most urgent steps are a moratorium on dismantling shut‑down reactors and an amendment to the Atomic Energy Act to permit continued operation. Responsible politicians of any party should act pragmatically now to secure Germany’s energy future.

Further details are available in Radiant Energy’s report on restarting Germany’s reactors and in the position paper of German nuclear industry association KernD (German PDF).