Angela Merkel's coalition government has agreed to a two-tier extension of the lifespans of German nuclear power plants after marathon talks laid the groundwork for the country's future energy policy.
The agreement ended months of division over how long Germany's 17 nuclear power plants should run beyond current limits, under which the last is due to close by 2021.
The environment minister, Norbert Roettgen, said after the meeting in Berlin that the lifespans of Germany's nuclear power stations would be extended by 12 years on average.
"We've agreed that older nuclear plants will receive an extension of eight years, and newer ones operating with different technical standards will get a 14-year extension," he told reporters.
The debate has pitted nuclear power plant operators against environmentalists, about 1,000 of whom staged a protest outside the chancellery where the meeting was held.
The agreement is set to be the cornerstone of Merkel's broader energy strategy, which will be decided later this month.
The chancellor has invested much political capital in the strategy, which must be implemented smoothly if she is to reverse her government's slump in the opinion polls in time for a string of elections early next year.
That will not be easy, as Germans are concerned about the safety of nuclear power and storage of nuclear waste.
Environmentalists, however, are likely to applaud the decision, made yesterday as part of the deal to steer public and private support to Germany's renewable energy industry.
Roettgen said the agreement foresaw long-term support for developing renewables, a pet project of his that is now to be boosted to the tune of €3bn-4bn annually.
The coalition lost control of Germany's upper house, the Bundesrat, after a regional election defeat in May, and it is unclear whether opposition by the centre-left SPD and Greens could stall the plan once the legislative process is started.
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