Overview
- Green MP Martin Stümpfig alleges Söder knowingly misled voters by citing unnamed “technical experts” in support of Isar 2’s quick reactivation.
- Written inquiries to the state Environment Ministry and Söder’s State Chancellery failed to produce any evidence of the experts he referenced.
- Government responses revealed an exclusive dependence on a TÜV-Süd report from April 2022, which contains no analysis of restarting a decommissioned reactor.
- The controversy has cast doubt on Söder’s credibility just days before the federal election and spurred calls for more rigorous, fact-driven policymaking.
- Nuclear energy featured prominently in the CSU’s campaign, but Germany’s last reactors were retired in April 2023 and the revival plan was dropped during coalition negotiations.