Czech leader urges Germany to keep nuclear power plants online

The Czech Republic's prime minister has appealed to Germany to continue operating its last three nuclear power plants beyond their scheduled year-end closure date,reported dpa.

After meeting German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Prague on Monday, Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala said Berlin should consider extending the operating time of the plants by a few months at least.

Electricity prices in Europe began rising last autumn. But they sharply accelerated following Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February and the EU's efforts to end its dependence on Russian oil and gas.

"We agreed that you have to find a pan-European solution to lower electricity prices," Fiala said of his meeting with Scholz.

The Czech Republic relies on nuclear power as an energy source and, unlike its neighbour Germany, plans to expand capacity.

The share of nuclear power in the EU member state's electricity mix is to rise to more than half by 2040, according to government proposals. To this end, the construction of new reactors is planned.

Germany’s last three nuclear plants are poised to close permanently by the end of this year in a series of policies dubbed the "Energiewende," or "Energy transition," dating back to Scholz's predecessor, Angela Merkel.

But a growing number of politicians - including from within Scholz's three-way coalition - have been arguing against the closures, saying that this would provide an alternative to increasingly scarce natural gas flows from Russia.