Right wing Merkel govt shafts public with secret nuclear guarantees...

[kristopher]

German reactor deal shields energy companies from future costs

The German government has disclosed that it will indemnify utility companies if their nuclear reactors require expensive upgrades, or if a future government prolongs taxation of the plants.

In a secret, "green-proof," memo, which the German government made public just hours after it was leaked, electric utility companies have been offered protection against future financial demands.

The leaked agreement - part of a new German energy pact to extend the lifespan of the country's nuclear power plants - caps the bill for utilities to upgrade each of their 17 nuclear facilities at 500 million euros ($640 million).

The operators are required to make their reactors more secure against radioactive leaks and terrorists attacks.

The utilities are also assured in the memo that if a new fuel-rod tax, which is supposed to expire in 2016, were to be extended by a new government, the utilities would be allowed to reduce their mandatory contributions to a renewable energy fund for reducing carbon dioxide emissions. Electric outlet tree with plugsBildunterschrift: Großansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift: The opposition wants to pull the plug on nuclear energy

Critics call memo a 'dirty deal'

Critics say the memo is intended to foil any future Social Democrat-Green government from rolling back Chancellor Angela Merkel's pro-nuclear policies...

http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,,5992079,00.html

You can always count on the right wing to go to the mat for their constituencies. Too bad liberals can't be as strong for theirs.

[TheMadMonk]

1. While it's not exactly cricket, the two major effects are...

1) Ensures that a future government will consider very carefully extending the taxes and not just latch onto them as a quick cash grab; and
2) Prevent the constant moving of goalposts which has been a major cause of cost overruns on past nuclear projects all around the world.

Essentially it's exactly what the critics say it is. It forces opponents to come at it with more than just their ideologies behind them. It means they're going to have to come up with a tactic a little more sophisticated than driving the industry broke.

[bananas]

2. "green-proofing" - I haven't heard that term before

'In a secret, "green-proof," memo ...'

Sleazy.

[kristopher]

3. Sleazy, yeah.

Well, would you expect anything else from the nuclear industry?