Germany will keep two nuclear plants available this winter

to prevent an energy shortage, reversing its plan to phase out the power source by the end of this year. Economy Minister Robert Habeck emphasized that the nuclear exit enacted in the wake of the Fukushima disaster was still in place but keeping the plants on standby would strengthen Germany’s energy security.

• Meanwhile: German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and French President Emmanuel Macron made an energy pact to help each other through the winter, as they forged a united front ahead of EU negotiations later this week on crisis-fighting tools.
• On a related note: German factory orders fell for the sixth consecutive month as inflation and energy uncertainty undermined Europe’s largest economy. Factory orders declined 1.1% in July compared to the previous month, worse than expectations of a 0.7% drop, driven by a slump in consumer goods, particularly pharmaceutical products.