Germany's last three nuclear power stations

Germany's last three nuclear power stations will be shut down permanently by midnight on Saturday as part of a plan for fully-renewable electricity generation by 2035.  The decision to quit nuclear power definitively was made after Japan's 2011 Fukushima disaster sent radiation spewing into the air and terrifying the world. The final wind-down was delayed from last summer to this year after Moscow's invasion of Ukraine prompted Germany to cease Russian fossil fuel imports. Now Germany is confident again about gas supplies and the expansion of renewables. Nuclear power comprised just 6% of Germany's energy production last year, compared to 44% from renewables. Two-thirds of Germans favor extending the lifespan of reactors or connecting old plants back to the grid. Only 28% back the phase-out, according to a recent survey by the Forsa Institute. Germany must find a permanent repository for around 1,900 highly radioactive nuclear waste casks by 2031. Safety issues remain, given that France and Switzerland depend heavily on nuclear power.