Paying out lignite power plant operators might have been exaggerated

Looking at the recent constitutional court ruling on Germany’s nuclear exit, the decision by federal economy minister Sigmar Gabriel to pay lignite power plant operators for mothballing their facilities might have been exaggerated, says Klaus Töpfer, founding director of the Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies (IASS), in an interview with Süddeutsche Zeitung. According to Töpfer, the court made clear that governmental authorisations, such as power production from nuclear or fossil sources, can be revoked without infringing property rights. “In my view [Gabriel’s decision] goes beyond what the Federal Constitutional Court deemed necessary. With this decision […] somebody is compensated so that he stops damaging,” says Töpfer.

Read the interview (behind paywall) in German here.

For background read the CLEW article Germany's constitutional court backs speedy nuclear exit.