One day after Environment Minister Sigmar Gabriel questioned Germany's reliance on nuclear fuel, the CDU has made it clear that it has no plans for an energy policy turnabout.

On the contrary, Merkel's party is pushing for the operational life span of the country's plants to be extended rather than cut short.

In an interview with the dpa news agency, Research Minister Annette Schavan said the short-circuit at the Kruemmel reactor, which sparked the latest round of anti-nuclear criticism, was an isolated incident which was not indicative of any wide-spread danger.

"We urgently need to keep the plants up and running for longer," she said, echoing Merkel's stance.

Chancellor says no cause for concern

Government spokesman Thomas Steg said the Chancellor was convinced that "only reliable reactors with qualified personnel" were in operation. He said the short-circuit at Kruemmel, which knocked the plant off the national grid, was not reason enough for Merkel to change tack.

But that is precisely what the opposition are demanding. On Monday, Gabriel said it was time to remove the eight oldest of Germany's 17 nuclear reactors from the grid permanently. He also called for the transference of all atomic supervisory powers from a regional to a national level.

That suggestion met with steadfast resistance from the Conservatives.

Thomas Steg said Angela Merkel was satisfied with the current regional-national division of responsibility and consequently saw no grounds for change.

Nuclear lobby

But Peter Struck, chairman of the SPD parliamentary faction, has accused Merkel of kow-towing to the nuclear lobby.

"Nuclear plants whose costs have already been written off are just a license for their operators to print money," he told the Neue Presse. "It's all about profit and nothing else."

Struck added that the Chancellor was "following a very dangerous course" with her demands to keep the plants running for longer.

"Even the most dedicated proponents of nuclear energy have to concede that this stream of breakdowns shows how wrong it would be to build new power stations or extend the operational lives of those that already exist."

The Social Democrat politician said it was imperative to phase-out nuclear power sooner than planned. As it stands, eight of Germany's rectors -- including Kruemmel -- are due to cease output in 2018. A complete phase-out is currently foreseen for 2021.

tkw/AP/dpa
Editor: Michael Lawton