Germany's Nuclear Phase-Out: A New Era of Energy Production Begins.

Germany's last three nuclear power plants will be taken offline on Saturday, marking the end of atomic energy in the country. While anti-nuclear activists celebrate, critics argue that the phaseout is a mistake that will have painful economic and ecological consequences. The issue also splits the governing coalition in Berlin, with the liberal Free Democrats calling for the nuclear plants to be kept on standby at the very least. Meanwhile, many of Germany's European neighbors are going in the opposite direction, with France embarking on a "renaissance" of its nuclear sector and Finland's new Olkiluoto 3 plant ready to go online next week.