Tag: Fukushima

Restarting two Belgian nuclear power plants which have been shut since the discovery of micro-cracks in their reactor vessels would be a hazardous move with potentially “catastrophic consequences”, according to a new study commissioned by the Green Party group in the European Parliament.

Radioactivity in the Pacific Ocean from the Fukushima nuclear disaster has peaked and will dilute rapidly, according to a study by Germany’s Geomar Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research.

For some people in Ukraine, it has been striking to see how little awareness and discussion there is in Europe about Kyiv's plans to expand the lifetime of 12 old nuclear reactors, right on the doorstep of the EU and most likely at European taxpayers’ expense, writes Iryna Holovko, an environmental campaigner in Ukraine.

The stress tests carried out on Europe's nuclear power plants in the wake of the Fukushima disaster last year have already brought "important wins", especially in terms of transparency, says Greenpeace nuclear expert Jan Haverkamp. Speaking to EurActiv.sk in an interview, he also said the tests had exposed some "black holes" in the emergency responses that need to be addressed.

The EU’s interim 'stress test' report has begun to flesh out the skeleton of what a new European nuclear safety regime could look like in the wake of the Fuksuhima disaster in Japan.

Shale gas and unconventional gas have a huge future but their lack of social acceptance, and the technological adjustments and regulatory framework required to develop them remain a challenge in Europe, Pawel Konzal of the World Economic Forum (WEF), told EurActiv Czech Republic in an exclusive interview.

The UN’s nuclear chief has called for random safety tests of all the world's reactors within 18 months, to help prevent any repeat of Japan's atomic crisis three months ago.

A battle over the future shape of Germany's energy industry is looming after its pioneering decision to shut all 17 of its nuclear reactors by 2022.

Leaders of the Group of Eight want more stringent international rules on nuclear safety following the disaster at Japan's Fukushima plant, French President Nicolas Sarkozy said at Deauville yesterday (26 May).

The 143 nuclear power plants operating in Europe, plus the six under construction and the 15 planned, should be able to withstand any possible threat, including a malicious plane crash like the 9/11 terrorist attacks in the US, the European Commission announced.

Ukraine is dedicated to concluding its free trade negotiations with the EU - without joining Russia's project for a Customs Union with Belarus and Kazakhstan - and hopes Japan and other nations will heed the lessons of Chernobyl as they deal with the aftermath of Fukushima, says Ukraine's Deputy Economy Minister Valery Piatnitsky in an exclusive interview with EurActiv Germany.

Turkey is planning to build a nuclear power station at İğneada, a small town close to the Bulgarian border on the Black Sea coast. No official Bulgarian reaction has yet been recorded, but Internet forums were overwhelmed with alarmed messages regarding the possible consequences of the decision.

Japan's nuclear crisis will speed the elimination of nuclear power from some European countries and render many planned projects too risky, ultimately increasing Europe's dependence on gas.

Angela Merkel's Christian Democrats lost power yesterday (27 March) in the rich state of Baden-Württemberg, where anti-nuclear sentiment had been mobilised by radiation leaks from an earthquake-stricken nuclear plant in Japan. The vote is not expected to cost her the job, but would certainly limit her ability to pass legislation.

A 40-year old Spanish nuclear power plant built to the same design model as Fukushima's disaster-struck reactor number one has become engulfed by calls for it to be shut down, while Brussels is questioning the safety of EU installations and has pushed for stress tests of nuclear power plants.

The European commissioner in charge of climate action, Connie Hedegaard, has signalled that EU decisions on commissioning new energy capacity are "very much likely to be influenced" by the Fukushima nuclear disaster in Japan.