Preliminary national reports on the
safety of nuclear plants in the European Union show that some will have to
improve resistance to damages from flooding, earthquakes and power losses, the
European Commission said Thursday, offering the first feedback on a closely
watched safety check.
"Even if the assessment is still ongoing, the progress reports identify a
number of issues that deserve an in-depth analysis," the commission, which
has executive powers in the EU, said in a document explaining the preliminary
results of the tests.
The EU decided to run the stress tests earlier this year, in reaction to the
radiation scare in Japan, when an earthquake and tsunami in March damaged the
Fukushima nuclear plant, causing leaks of radioactive material.
The scare is also likely to have long-term effects on EU energy policy, after
Germany, the EU's biggest economy, decided to ditch nuclear energy, possibly
increasing Europe's reliance on fossil fuel imports, in particular natural gas.
An EU summary of the national reports by the 14 countries that have nuclear
power shows that none of the national authorities are recommending immediate
action.
However, "the format, content, and level of detail (...) vary quite
substantially," but point at some issues that need improvement, the
commission said.
"Increasing the robustness of plants against flooding, loss of power and
loss of ultimate heat sink (the pool of water that cools a reactor)" are
among these issues, the commission said.
National authorities will have to submit final results by the end of the year,
while pools of experts will cross check these reports early next year to
guarantee their credibility and the coherence of the different data. Final
feedback from the whole process will emerge in June, the commission said.