Overview
- SPD energy spokesperson Nina Scheer rejected small modular reactors as the most expensive option, calling them a safety risk that could generate more waste, citing a 2022 University of Pennsylvania study.
- Fact checks counter Söder’s Canada reference, noting there are no operating SMRs there, with only preparatory work in Ontario and first deployment targeted around 2030 and a limited permit horizon reported to 2035.
- Greens and the Left criticized the idea as a distraction from cheaper renewables, pointing to Bavaria’s lag in wind build‑out and highlighting the halted NuScale project and unresolved disposal issues.
- AfD backed incorporating SMRs and urged reactivating shuttered plants such as Neckarwestheim II, Isar 2 and Emsland, with Brokdorf also mentioned as potentially returnable to service.
- Reporting underscores steep nuclear costs and industry reluctance, citing Hinkley Point’s price tag of at least €55 billion and Germany’s ongoing waste transports without a permanent repository.