BERLIN, GERMANY (BNO NEWS) -- The German government on Monday announced that all the country's nuclear power plants will be closed by 2022, as part of the new plans to phase nuclear power out completely.

According to Deutsche Welle television, Environment Minister Norbert Röttgen announced the proposal to stop utilizing nuclear energy and shutting down the seven existing nuclear facilities.

The new plan of the German government, led by Chancellor Angela Merkel, represented a 14-year acceleration of its previous initiatives. The German people have demanded the government an end to nuclear power.

In October 2010, the German Parliament approved a nuclear shutdown with a deadline set at 2036. However, pressure from the population and opposition parties caused that the ruling Christian Democrats (CDU) party decided to rush the phase out.

Under the new plans, Germany's seven nuclear reactors constructed before 1980 will be kept offline permanently. Six nuclear power plants would be closed in 2021 and the remaining three in 2022 to ensure the supply necessary energy.

In March, Merkel announced a three-month moratorium that put on hold the plans of extending the lifespan of the German nuclear reactors in order to conduct safety inspections at the nuclear facilities.

In 2010, Merkel announced an agreement to extend the lifespan of its 17 nuclear plants reached by her coalition of Christian Democrats and Free Democrats. However, after to the Japanese nuclear crisis, opposition groups and civilians called for reversing the decision.

Opposition parties demanded to close all nuclear reactors by 2022 and thousands of protesters urged an immediate end to the use of nuclear energy. Germany currently has 17 nuclear reactors.

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