Powering down: Final hours for Germany’s last nuclear plants

Activists stand by a mock-up dinosaur set-up by Greenpeace in front of the Brandenburg Gate to mark the shutdown (AP)

Germany has begun winding down its three remaining nuclear power plants as part of a long-planned transition toward renewable energy, drawing cheers from environmentalists who campaigned for the move.

The shutdown of the Emsland, Neckarwestheim II and Isar II reactors, which was agreed upon more than a decade ago, is being closely watched abroad.