The German cabinet agreed on Monday to plans for the nation to phase out nuclear energy by 2022 and to boost renewable sources of power, according to DPA. Speaking at a press conference, Environment Minister Norbert Roettgen said the decision to roll back atomic energy marked "a milestone in the economic and political development of our country." Chancellor Angela Merkel's government also hopes to double the amount of energy generated by renewable sources of power over the next decade to about 35 per cent. Roettgen described the target as challenging but said it could also be easily be surpassed.