Germany may extend the life of its three remaining nuclear power plants, the economy ministry said on Monday, as public support rises in the face of the possibility that Russia might completely shut off its gas supplies to Berlin.

Germany’s remaining nuclear plants are scheduled to be shut down by the end of the year after former chancellor Angela Merkel pledged to phaseout nuclear power following the meltdown at the Fukushima-Daiichi nuclear station in Japan in 2011.

A spokesperson for the economy and climate protection ministry told reporters in Berlin that the government had tasked energy providers with running a stress test for Germany’s electric grid to determine whether power supplies could be guaranteed this winter, even if there are severe disruptions such as Russia cutting off its supplies of gas.