January 16, 2026
Debate meltdown, grid edition
Germany's shut down of nuclear plants a 'huge mistake', says Merz
Internet split as Merz calls nukes exit a costly blunder
TLDR: Germany’s leader says shutting nuclear plants was a costly mistake, but restarting them now is unrealistic. Commenters are split between “we warned you,” “it wasn’t early anyway,” and “blame green politics,” turning an energy policy post into a full-on culture clash over cost, climate, and reliability.
Germany’s Chancellor Friedrich Merz just threw gasoline on the energy debate, calling the nuclear shutdown a “huge mistake” that’s draining wallets and weakening power supply. He says the country can’t keep propping up prices with government cash forever, and critics point out that restarting reactors isn’t realistic now—they’ve been emptied, partly dismantled, and would need new licenses and massive upgrades. This all began after Fukushima in 2011, when Germany sped up its switch to renewables, known as the Energiewende.
Online, the comments lit up. The loudest chorus? The “told you so” crowd, with one user insisting reactors “can easily last 60 years.” Another fired back that the 2011 closures weren’t really “early,” arguing most would be due by now anyway. Cue the political crossfire: some blamed the shutdown on “extreme environmentalist views,” while others rolled eyes at the idea of flipping nukes back on like a light switch. One poster dropped a Hacker News link, and the thread devolved into charts, timelines, and plenty of “who could’ve seen this coming?” sarcasm.
There were memes about Germany “speedrunning the world’s most expensive energy transition,” plus jokes about buying extension cords from France. But beneath the snark is a real split: is this proof the phase-out backfired, or a painful but principled path to cleaner energy? The internet is definitely not cooling down.
Key Points
- •Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Germany’s nuclear phase-out was a “huge mistake” that increased costs and reduced power capacity.
- •Germany completed its nuclear shutdown in April 2023, closing Isar 2, Emsland, and Neckarwestheim 2 amid Europe’s energy crisis.
- •Merz argued energy prices now rely on federal subsidies, which he says are not sustainable long term.
- •Restarting permanently shut reactors is widely seen as unfeasible due to de-fueling, dismantling, licensing revocation, and component degradation.
- •Industry sources note high restart costs and strong public opposition; the phase-out aimed to reduce nuclear risks and advance the Energiewende.