Germany Closes Last Three Nuclear Power Plants

Germany is closing its last three nuclear power plants today, Saturday, marking the end of a program that lasted six decades and sparked one of the most powerful protest movements in Europe. The smokestacks of the "Isar 2," "Emsland," and "Neckarwestheim 2" reactors will be permanently shut down by midnight, as part of Berlin's plan to transition to renewable energy sources by 2035. After years of hesitation, Germany pledged to completely phase out nuclear energy following the Fukushima disaster in Japan in 2011, which caused radioactive contamination and sparked global panic. However, the final steps for the shutdown were postponed from last summer to this year after Germany halted imports of fossil fuels from Russia following its invasion of Ukraine. Prices surged and fears of energy shortages spread worldwide, but Germany is now assured regarding its gas supplies and the expansion of renewable energy sources.