Chancellor Angela Merkel has appealed to the German parliament to restructure the country's energy supply without the aid of nuclear power, following the decision to phase out nuclear energy by 2022.

In her Thursday address to the Bundestag, Merkel admitted it was "a Herculean task, "but added that "we all can work together on this project to combine future ethical responsibilities with economic success."

The chancellor emphasized that phasing out nuclear power would require substantial investment in Germany's electricity grids and wind turbines - a reference to a government plan to speed up and streamline planning procedures to increase energy efficiency.

Skeptical and sarcastic

Merkel wasn't always in favor of phasing out nuclear power, and her change of heart hasn't won her many friends among the opposition. Among her critics, Social Democratic Party (SPD) chief Frank-Walter Steinmeier has accused Merkel of insincerity.

"It's unbelievable that she's presenting herself as the inventor of the German energy change revolution - it just knocks your socks off," Steinmeier said Thursday during the parliamentary debate on Merkel's energy policy.

Steinmeier pointed out that the Social Democrats had pushed for a nuclear power shutdown back in 2001. The SPD seemed reluctant to forget Merkel's previous comments calling the shutdown of technically safe nuclear reactors "absurd." The parliamentary group took out an ironic ad in several papers, congratulating Merkel on her change of heart.

Not enough, not soon enough

The Greens also criticized Merkel for being late to the party.

"Welcome, madam, to the 21st century," said Green Party Chairman Jürgen Trittin, who also called the government goal of 35 percent renewable energy by 2020 insufficient.

On Monday, Merkel's cabinet agreed to introduce a bill to close eight of Germany's 17 power reactors immediately and phase out the rest between 2015 and 2022.

Author: Sarah Harman (dpa, AFPD, dapd)
Editor: Martin Kuebler