By Zeke Turner

 

BERLIN--Germany's constitutional court ruled Tuesday morning that parts of the government's nuclear phase-out law were unconstitutional, paving the way for utilities companies to sue for damages.

Germany's E.ON SE and RWE AG and Sweden's Vattenfall AB have looked for nearly EUR20 billion ($21.3 billion) in damages after the government ruled in 2011 that all nuclear power plants in Germany must go offline by 2022.

The government had previously approved an extended lifespan for some nuclear plants, but changed course after the disaster at Japan's Fukushima Daiichi in 2011. Companies like E.ON and RWE were left scrambling to finance the government-mandated phase-out and cover their investments in a business that was suddenly outlawed.

 

Write to Zeke Turner at zeke.turner@wsj.com

 

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

December 06, 2016 04:44 ET (09:44 GMT)

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