 SIR - Germany's decision to scrap nuclear power by 2022 is ridiculous. Germany does not regularly suffer magnitude 8.9 earthquakes like Japan.  Nuclear power is a good intermediate step between fossil fuel and renewables, which are still in their infancy.  Sam Pyne Westbury, Wiltshire  SIR - Ellis Field (Letters, May 31) is right to say that nuclear power does not suffer from the weaknesses of all renewables. Indeed its strengths lie in the areas where renewables are weak: reliability of energy supply, need for back-up and the number of power lines needed.  Safety is axiomatic. Modern reactor design presumes "passive safety": autonomic shut-down in the case of a fault and natural convective cooling that does not require external power.  The present programme for a 37-fold increase in wind power is a Shirley Temple dream for Chris Huhne, the Energy Secretary, but a nightmare to the rest of us. Richard Phillips Wickham Heath, Berkshire