Germany’s nuclear exit is well underway, with its power plants set to be shut down by 2022. That process, together with the disposal of radioactive waste, is complex and costly, however. The power plants are run by Germany’s four big energy companies: Eon, RWE, EnBW and Vattenfall. They have now accumulated €36bn in reserves as cover – but the true costs cannot be properly estimated.

Germany is in the middle of its energy transition, but it remains unclear who should be bearing the costs. Felix Matthes from the Institute for Applied Ecology in Berlin talks about the nuclear exit and its financial repercussions for Germany’s energy giants.