The ten companies – among them Austria's Oekostrom, Greenpeace Energy and the utilities of mid-sized German cities such as Bochum or Mainz – in the next few days will file a plea for annulment at the European Court of Justice in Luxembourg.

"We are taking legal action against these exorbitant nuclear subsidies because they appear to be ecologically and economically senseless, and signify serious disadvantages for other energy providers, for renewables, and for consumers," said Sönke Tangermann, managing director of Greenpeace Energy.