Auctioning extensions to the lifespans of nuclear power plants isn't an urgent issue at present, German Environment Minister Norbert Roettgen and Economics Minister Rainer Bruederle said Wednesday.

On Tuesday, German daily Financial Times Deutschland reported that Roettgen is open-minded about auctioning extensions of nuclear plant lifespans to the power-generating companies rather than simply allocating them, citing Roettgen.

However, on Wednesday Roettgen said that auctioning the lifespan extension would be a nice idea but won't be made law in the short term.

Bruederle said otherwise the timetable for the extension of the lifespan of nuclear power couldn't be kept, adding that the idea could be re-examined in the future.

At present, "we have to stay on [the] previously outlined road, to ensure the deadlines are met," he said. In the autumn, the German government wants to present its new energy plan.

Guido Westerwelle, Germany 's foreign minister and head of the co-ruling Free Democratic Party FDP wants a "moderate" lifespan extension for nuclear plants and doesn't expect this will need approval from the Bundesrat, Germany 's second legislative chamber, newspaper Hamburger Abendblatt reported Wednesday. "I expect that we don't need the Bundesrat [decision] to extend the lifespan of nuclear power plants," he said.

However, a prerequisite to extend the plants' lifespans is that security standards are met. "Security is a non-negotiable point," Roettgen said Wednesday in Berlin .

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