Germany’s decision to shut down all its commercial nuclear power plants was a “huge mistake” and has come at a high cost to the economy, chancellor Friedrich Merz said on 15 January, speaking to the German Chamber of Industry and Commerce in Dessau.

“It was a serious strategic mistake to phase out nuclear energy… we simply don’t have enough energy generation capacity,” Merz was reported as saying.

Press reports also said Germany’s energy system now relies on state intervention to keep prices at acceptable levels.