Germany not exactly free of nuclear Set in the hills of the
Czech Republic, the twin reactors of the Soviet-designed Temelín
nuclear power plant lie just 44 miles from the German border.
Since last spring, when Chancellor Angela Merkel began shutting
down Germany’s nuclear reactors, Temelín has stepped up supplies
of electricity to Bavaria, where big German manufacturers
including BMW, Audi, and Siemens have factories. There is a
double paradox here, according to Bloomberg Businessweek.
Germany said its future will be nuclear-free. For the present,
though, it is nuclear not-so-free, relying more than ever on
electricity from atomic-powered neighbors. The Germans have been
turning off their reactors because they do not want a Fukushima-
style meltdown spewing radiation across their country, yet the
Temelín reactors are close enough to the border to rain down
radiation on Germany should a serious accident occur. Until
their nuclear shutdown began, the Germans exported an average of
1,400 gigawatt-hours a month,