EXPLAINER: Why Germany is delaying its nuclear shutdown

BERLIN (AP) — German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has ordered preparations for all of the country's three remaining nuclear reactors to continue operating until mid-April. The move marks another hiccup in the country's long-running plan to end the use of atomic energy. Here is a look at Germany's politically charged debate on nuclear power.

COLD WAR FISSION

West and East Germany began producing nuclear energy in the 1960s, when it was widely considered a safe and clean alternative to the heavily polluting coal the nation had long relied on for much of its power needs. Dozens of reactors of various types were built over the following decades. The newest plant began operation in 1989 — about a year before reunification.

PROTEST MOVEMENT

Concerns about the risks of nuclear power increased with the Three Mile Island incident in 1979 and the disaster at Chernobyl in 1986. Such fears boosted West Germany's environmental movement and the newly formed Green party that is now part of Chancellor Olaf Scholz's governing coalition.

FIRST SHUTDOWN PLAN

A center-left government of Social Democrats and Greens passed a law in 2002 that Germany would build no new nuclear power plants and shut down all existing reactors over the coming decades. The move was part of a broader effort to shift energy production in Germany — known as the Energiewende, or energy transition — away from fossil fuels toward renewable sources such as wind and solar.

SECOND THOUGHTS

A conservative government under Angela Merkel announced in 2010 that Germany would extend the lifetime of its nuclear plants, in part to ensure sufficient supply of cheap, low-carbon energy. Once built, nuclear plants produce significantly fewer greenhouse gas emissions than coal- or gas-fired facilities, while providing a constant amount...