There are only three active nuclear power plants left in Germany.

Following the disaster at Japan's Fukushima nuclear power plant in 2011, the German government has been working to phase out this energy source by the end of 2022.

But that hit a speed bump with the war in Ukraine.

Nuclear power to compensate for energy crisis

Amid an energy crisis that was sparked by a cutback of Russian oil and gas supplies to Europe, the German Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Action Robert Habeck, announced that the three-party ruling coalition had agreed to keep two of the country's remaining three nuclear power plants in operation until mid-April. That follows the closure of a number of nuclear reactors in France, from which Germany imports electricity.

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The plan is that the plants will only use their remaining fuel reserves until they run out.

Many living in the small Bavarian community of Niederaichbach, which sits at the foot of the Isar 2, one of three nuclear power plants still in operation, understand this decision says local mayor Josef Klaus.

"The population has reacted mostly positively," he told CGTN. "They fear that electricity production will ultimately fail and there will be a blackout. We have to switch gears but that bridge technology is not reliably available, so you go to the things that work and have worked in the past. Of course, there are those who are critical," he continues "that's quite clear, but the majority of people say that we should let this plant continue to run until April 15th or maybe even longer."

Nuclear power past 2023

The parliamentary decision to extend the Isar 2 and the Neckarwestheim 2 in the neighboring state of Baden-Wurtenberg, which could cost as much as $97 million dollars according to some estimates, was meant to be voted on in Berlin this week, but coalition partner the Free Democrats believe the April deadline is too soon.

The pro-business party are pushing for all three online nuclear plants, which together account for around 6 percent of the country's electricity production, to remain open until 2024.

This is also a position some in Niederaichbach have also been arguing.

Resident Christian says spending millions to keep the plant running until April doesn't make sense.

"I find it a bit strange," he explains. "We shut down our nuclear power plants, but at the same time, we will continue to import nuclear power from France, Czechia, Poland - where ever it comes from. It is nonsense. In my opinion, our nuclear power plants are better operated than the others, so let's just continue to run them indefinitely."

However, the two other coalition parties, the Social democrats and the Greens, continue to cite the environmental impact of nuclear energy and concerns over storing nuclear waste.

Time is running out 

While the issue continues to be debated, time is running out.

For one, a valve leak in the Isar 2, discovered late last month, has still not been repaired and will likely not be until its future operation is defined, according to Klaus.

"No new fuel elements will be used," he says. "The existing ones are being converted and can only be operated for another six months. Then the battery is empty."

To extend the plant's life past April new fuel elements will need to be ordered and "because of delivery times, we won't get them that quickly."

Klaus also points out that many of the employees have already accepted early retirement payouts and so there is a need to find the staff with specialist knowledge to be able to continue operating this power plant. He wants the politicians to make a decision soon. Meanwhile, the third nuclear power plant still online in Lower Saxony is poised to shut permanently by the end of the year.