Overview
- In a speech to business leaders, the chancellor said “power plants are to be built” and that the paperwork to start construction has been exchanged, with former reactor sites likely candidates.
- He argued Germany now lacks sufficient generation and has grown heavily dependent on energy imports, with reporting citing import shares near 70% in 2025.
- Merz criticized the transition’s expense, saying permanent subsidies are unsustainable, as data show household electricity prices rose to about 39.6 ct/kWh in 2025 from 32.8 ct/kWh in 2021.
- Reversing the shutdown will be difficult because the last reactors, taken offline in April 2023, were defueled, partially dismantled and would require new licensing and safety reviews.
- Rather than reviving conventional plants, he urged exploration of next-generation options such as small modular reactors.