By Brian Rohan and Hans-Edzard Busemann
BERLIN, Sept 5 (Reuters) - Chancellor Angela Merkel's government has agreed to extend the lifespans of Germany's nuclear power plants, a government official said on Sunday, without clarifying the number of years an extension will entail.
The official said the plants would be treated in two separate groups, in line with earlier proposals to base the extension on the plants' age and safety standards.
'There will be a staggered extension of the lifespans,' the official said, declining to be named. This would allow longer extensions for newer plants with higher safety standards.
Merkel was meeting senior government officials to end a dispute over how long Germany's 17 active nuclear power stations should continue operations beyond current limits, under which the last is due to be closed by 2021.
The topic has sown division in her ruling coalition and has pitted operators against environmentalists, some 1,000 of whom staged a protest outside the chancellery on Sunday.
On the table are extensions ranging from 10 to 15 years. Economy Minister Rainer Bruederle of the pro-business Free Democrats wants the top end of the range while Environment Minister Norbert Roettgen of Merkel's Christian Democrats seeks a shorter extension.
Before the meeting, Bruederle said he was confident the government would come to a quick and intelligent decision, just as the utility firm RWE's chief executive spoke out for a 20-year extension.
The final agreement will be the cornerstone of Merkel's broader energy strategy, to be decided later this month.
Merkel has invested much political capital in the strategy, which must be implemented smoothly if she is to reverse her government's slump in the polls in time for a string of important elections early next year.
That will not be easy, as the German public are sceptical about the safety risks of nuclear power and unresolved questions about nuclear waste storage.
Sunday's meeting may also set down the specifics of a so-called nuclear fuel element tax intended to raise 2.3 billion euros ($3.1 billion) a year.
(Editing by Kevin Liffey) ($1=.7453 Euro) Keywords: GERMANY NUCLEAR/MEETING (brian.rohan@reuters.com ; +49 30 2888 5223; Reuters Messaging: brian.rohan.reuters.com@reuters.net ) COPYRIGHT Copyright Thomson Reuters 2010. All rights reserved. The copying, republication or redistribution of Reuters News Content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Thomson Reuters.
BERLIN, Sept 5 (Reuters) - Chancellor Angela Merkel's government has agreed to extend the lifespans of Germany's nuclear power plants, a government official said on Sunday, without clarifying the number of years an extension will entail.
The official said the plants would be treated in two separate groups, in line with earlier proposals to base the extension on the plants' age and safety standards.
'There will be a staggered extension of the lifespans,' the official said, declining to be named. This would allow longer extensions for newer plants with higher safety standards.
Merkel was meeting senior government officials to end a dispute over how long Germany's 17 active nuclear power stations should continue operations beyond current limits, under which the last is due to be closed by 2021.
The topic has sown division in her ruling coalition and has pitted operators against environmentalists, some 1,000 of whom staged a protest outside the chancellery on Sunday.
On the table are extensions ranging from 10 to 15 years. Economy Minister Rainer Bruederle of the pro-business Free Democrats wants the top end of the range while Environment Minister Norbert Roettgen of Merkel's Christian Democrats seeks a shorter extension.
Before the meeting, Bruederle said he was confident the government would come to a quick and intelligent decision, just as the utility firm RWE's chief executive spoke out for a 20-year extension.
The final agreement will be the cornerstone of Merkel's broader energy strategy, to be decided later this month.
Merkel has invested much political capital in the strategy, which must be implemented smoothly if she is to reverse her government's slump in the polls in time for a string of important elections early next year.
That will not be easy, as the German public are sceptical about the safety risks of nuclear power and unresolved questions about nuclear waste storage.
Sunday's meeting may also set down the specifics of a so-called nuclear fuel element tax intended to raise 2.3 billion euros ($3.1 billion) a year.
(Editing by Kevin Liffey) ($1=.7453 Euro) Keywords: GERMANY NUCLEAR/MEETING (brian.rohan@reuters.com ; +49 30 2888 5223; Reuters Messaging: brian.rohan.reuters.com@reuters.net ) COPYRIGHT Copyright Thomson Reuters 2010. All rights reserved. The copying, republication or redistribution of Reuters News Content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Thomson Reuters.