Two of the last three German nuclear power plants will be left on standby until April 2023, instead of being closed by the end of the year, as was originally planned. This was announced by the Minister of Economy, Robert Habeck, in the face of the risk of energy shortages caused by the Russian gas crisis. The two power plants – Isar II in Bavaria and Neckarwestheim in the southwestern land of iBaden-Wuerttemberg – will be kept as a reserve in case they are needed to stabilize the electricity supply this winter in southern Germany, the minister explained. the last remaining nuclear power plants in Germany were to close by the end of the year as part of the energy transition program established by the former government of Angela Merkel. Now at least two will serve as a reserve, after Moscow virtually cut off all gas supplies to Germany, in what appears to be a retaliation for Berlin’s support of Ukraine in the face of the Russian invasion.