German Government Shoots Down Bavaria’s Nuclear Request

The German government has shot down Bavaria’s request to reopen the Isar 2 nuclear power plant following its shutdown Saturday.

Germany has been phasing out nuclear energy, with its last three plants shutting down over the weekend. Bavaria Governor Markus Söder was a vocal critic of the decision and proposed reopening the plant in Bavaria under state control. Such a course of action required an amendment to the Atomic Energy Act to transfer control from federal to state authorities.

According to Reuters, the federal government has responded to Bavaria’s request, denying it.

“It is important to accept the state of the art in science and technology and to respect the decision of the German Bundestag,” Environment Minister Steffi Lemke said in a statement sent to Reuters.