However, protests increased rapidly after the government's decision to prolong the reliance on nuclear power in 2010 and especially in the aftermath of the Fukushima accident in 2011. Theoretical analyses and international experience suggest that despite strong policy commitment, moving away from fossil fuels without nuclear pow'er is costly, not least because other available low carbon technologies are not yet competitive (OECD, 2009). The public investment needed to reach the targets is estimated at around 1% of GDP per year (KfW, 2011). When assessing CO2 abatement cost in Germany, evaluations differ significantly. Reducing emissions by 35% by 2020 is estimated to cost on average from EUR -38/t CO2 to more than EUR 80/t CO2 (BMU, 2008b, McKinsey, 2007). The differences in estimates are mainly due to assumptions about the technological changes to be expected by 2020 which determine the cost of investment in low-carbon technologies and their performance in energy savings.