Berlin - The German government and energy companies have reached an agreement for the gradual closing down of the country's 19 nuclear power stations over 32 years, Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder announced last night. He made the historic announcement at a brief news conference after some four-and-a-half hours of last-ditch negotiations under his auspices in the chancellor's Berlin office between government ministers and representatives of leading energy companies.
Under the deal, Germany becomes the first leading economic power to officially announce its intention of renouncing use of nuclear energy in the future.