Economy Minister Robert Habeck supported Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s choice to exercise his executive authority to conclude a protracted dispute inside the coalition over the lifespan of Germany’s three existing nuclear power plants.

Robert Habeck’s Greens, opponents of nuclear power, wanted two plants kept running until April, while the business-friendly Free Democrats wanted an extension involving all three plants. On Monday, Scholz, a Social Democrat, ordered that all three should be kept going until April at the latest.

“We have a plan and it seems good,” said Habeck of the decision, made in response to concerns that Germany could face power shortages this winter without the supplies of Russian gas on which its economy has relied.

Habeck said Scholz’s decision had offered a political solution and although it was unusual, it was not a scandal for the chancellor to have an opinion and authority that he exercised.