30/05/2011 11:15
Germany pledges nuclear shutdown
Germany's ruling coalition says it has agreed a date of 2022 for the shutdown of all of its nuclear power plants, BBC reported.
Environment Minister Norbert Rottgen made the announcement after a meeting of the ruling coalition that lasted into the early hours of Monday.
Chancellor Angela Merkel had set up an ethics panel to look into nuclear power following the disaster at the Fukushima plant in Japan.
Germany's nuclear industry has argued that an early shutdown would be hugely damaging the country's industrial base.
Before March's moratorium on the older power plants, Germany relied on nuclear power for 23% of its energy.