Germany's lower house of parliament has overwhelmingly backed Chancellor Angela Merkel's decision to close the country's 17 nuclear reactors by 2022.

Members of parliament voted 513-79 in favour of the plan which was triggered by Japan's post-earthquake nuclear disaster.

The shift in energy policy by Europe’s largest economy comes seven months after Dr Merkel’s government decided to set aside the 2001 exit plan and extend the life of Germany’s nuclear power plants.



Earlier this month, the German leader said the Fukushima disaster had forced her government to reconsider its plans and bring forward the nuclear shutdown plan.



Roughly one-fifth of Germany’s annual energy production is generated in nuclear power plants. Seven older nuclear plants, closed for safety checks in March, will remain off grid for good, while the others will follow by 2022 at the latest.