BERLIN

Germany’s Greens party has turned down calls to extend the runtime of the country’s last three nuclear power plants, despite fears of a gas crisis in winter due to tensions with Russia.

Ricarda Lang, the party’s co-chair, told media that the latest proposal of liberal Free Democrats (FDP) to continue operating nuclear plants until 2024 was not acceptable for the environmentalists.

“This would be nothing but returning to nuclear power. And definitely, that would not happen with us,” she told public broadcaster ZDF.

Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s three-party coalition is seeking ways to prevent an energy crisis this winter, as it fears Russia may reduce or even stop gas deliveries in the coming months to exert political pressure.

But deep differences between the Social Democrats, the Greens and the liberal FDP are hindering an agreement.

FDP’s leader and Finance Minister Christian Lindner said on Sunday that the country should halt electricity production using gas, and consider extending the operation of the country’s last three nuclear power plants, which were scheduled to be shut down by the end of this year.