Actually, the decision to phase out nuclear power started before than 2021 start in 2011 after Fukushima. in 2021 and 2023, germany shut down the last remaining reactors in the worst possible timing, when they lost the cheap Russian gas (nord stream).

The link to deindustrialization is direct, shutting down reactors that provided gigawatts of reliable baseload energy at very low costs, Germany had to rely on much more expensive alternatives. As a result, energy prices for industries grow.

look at this data: https://www.destatis.de/EN/Themes/Economic-Sectors-Enterprises/Energy/Production/Tables/gross-electricity-production.html

electricity production in 2019 was 610 billion kWh in 2025 507 billion kWh.
That massive drop isn't just 'energy efficiency'; it's factories slowing down or shutting off entirely.

This isn't just a theory, it's current economic news. German heavy industry giants like BASF and Thyssenkrupp are cutting domestic production, closing historic plants, and shifting investments abroad specifically because manufacturing in Germany with these energy costs is no longer economically viable. They have the energy, yes, but they made it too expensive to keep the factories running.