Germany's coalition government has decided to extend the life span of the country's nuclear power plants by an average of 12 years. Officials said under the agreement, some plants will now remain in production until the 2030s, instead of being phased out by 2021 as the previous government wanted. The plan reverses a decision by the previous government – a coalition of the centre-left Social Democrats and the Greens – to shut down Germany's nuclear power stations by 2021. Reports say Chancellor Angela Merkel hoped that the decision will heal a split in her centre-right coalition and extend the lifespan of a deeply unpopular government.