Germany beefs up monitoring of nuclear shutdown

[May 24, 2012]  BERLIN (AP) -- The German government has moved to oversee more closely the country's move from nuclear power to renewable energy -- a mammoth 10-year project for Europe's biggest economy.

Chancellor Angela Merkel said Wednesday she will meet all of Germany's 16 state governors twice a year to take stock of the transformation's progress and shortcomings. Critics have faulted the government for a lack of coordination.

Merkel said everything must be done to ensure affordable energy will always be available.

Germany decided to speed up shutting down its nuclear reactors following Japan's Fukushima nuclear disaster last year.

Wind, solar and other renewable energy sources currently account for some 20 percent of the country's electricity production and are set to produce a third of it within a decade, reaching 80 percent by 2050.

[Associated Press]

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