Greenpeace critiques Merkel's nuke plan

AMSTERDAM, Netherlands, June 1 (UPI) -- Greenpeace hailed a decision by the German government to shut eight nuclear power plants, though the advocacy group said Berlin wasn't moving fast enough.

A magnitude-9 and tsunami that struck March 11 crippled the nuclear reactors in northern Japan and sparked global concerns about nuclear safety.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel announced Monday that eight of the country's 17 nuclear reactors would shut down immediately. The remaining plants would close by 2022 but Greenpeace said that's not soon enough.

The advocacy group said its research finds that Germany could close all of its reactors by 2015 through a combination of renewable energy and efficiency measures.

"A world powered by renewable energy is within our grasp and Germany has shown that a combination of popular support and political courage can make this happen," said Greenpeace in a statement.

German energy companies E.ON and RWE said they were considering legal action in the wake of Merkel's announcement.

A fuel-rod tax is in place during the closure period for Germany.

"E.ON already considered the nuclear fuel tax to be unlawful when it was introduced in combination with the life extension for nuclear power stations," a company statement read. "E.ON believes that it is not in line with constitutional and European law. Adhering to the tax while at the same time significantly shortening the operating lives of the nuclear power stations raises additional legal issues."