EU to conduct stress tests on its nuclear reactors

EU to conduct stress tests on its nuclear reactors

2011-03-16 08:58:50 GMT+7 (ICT)

BRUSSELS (BNO NEWS) -- The European Union (EU) on Tuesday announced that it will be conducting stress tests on nuclear reactors, as ongoing nuclear accidents in Japan have brought international concerns regarding nuclear energy.

EU Commissioner Günther Oettinger appeared before Parliament's Energy Committee on Tuesday, confirming that the Commission would prepare an EU-wide assessment criteria by June, while the tests themselves should be concluded by the end of the year. Thorough stress tests will also take place in nuclear plants of neighboring countries, including Turkey, Russia and Switzerland.

Oettinger underlined that "we are all affected by the situation in Japan," expressing concern about how Japan would control the situation.

Although the incidents at the Japanese nuclear plants would have far-reaching implications in Europe, he reassured Members of the Parliament (MEPs) that all stakeholders "are prepared to conduct extraordinary stress tests" including risk assessments of possible damage by earthquakes and high water levels.

The tests would take account of the age and location of nuclear power plants, Oettinger said.

Some MEPs, however, stressed that Europe should not panic and must get all the details about the accident correct before making any changes in long-term decisions about its energy future.

Others were concerned that nuclear meltdown was almost impossible to stop once it has started, insisting that stress tests on the robustness of cooling systems and the storage of spent fuel, which is often kept in the plants, should therefore be very thorough.

Commissioner Oettinger went on to say that he would report to MEPs on the criteria for the stress tests when they were ready, as the first draft should be available after Easter.

However, the Commissioner emphasized that any decision on the early closure of nuclear power plants or on a moratorium on the construction of future plants lay with national governments and public opinion in the Member States, pointing out that not all the facts on incidents in Japan were yet known and it would be wrong to jump to conclusions about the safety of the plants in Europe.

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