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Ajouter un commentaireDifferent Member States have reacted to the disaster in different ways. The emotional impact is divided between those countries that have not adopted or no longer depend on nuclear power (such as Italy) and those which still base their energy production on the splitting of the atom. Amongst the latter, France and Spain are continuing regardless, whereas Germany is leaning towards abandoning nuclear power.
Events at Fukushima have left in their wake huge implications regarding the use of nuclear energy in Europe. The extraordinary meeting of the European Energy Council held in Brussels on 21st March pointed out that it is absolutely necessary for the EU to understand how safe its nuclear plants actually are. In fact, an assessment, a so-called “stress test”, was proposed in order to ascertain how resistant plants are to both natural disasters, for example earthquakes or floods, and to man-made problems such as technical error and a loss of power in the reactors, as well as a terrorist attack of a technical nature. Such a series of assessments would help to increase protection, but would not completely eliminate the risk of a incident comparable to that which occurred 25 years ago in Chernobyl, for example. (The picture shows one of the reactors which exploded in 1986).
Nuclear power is a resource which is capable of guaranteeing a higher quantity of energy at an acceptable expense, but at the same time involves inevitable risk. Human error and natural disaster are variables which must always be considered ; as the well-documented events at Fukushima and Chernobyl have shown, the consequences can be dramatic. Then there is the eternal problem of how to dispose of nuclear waste. European nations are aware of these issues, and for this reason many have decided to stop using nuclear energy : Austria, Cyprus, Denmark, Estonia, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Luxembourg, Malta, Poland and Portugal do not rely on nuclear power to provide any of their energy. But several of these countries, including Poland and Italy, had been considering possibly using nuclear resources. In fact, a month before the tragic events in Japan, the Polish government unveiled in Warsaw a project for the construction of what would be the very first nuclear plant in the country. Local law actually expressly forbids the construction of such plants, and to complete the project it will first be necessary to change the legislation. Once this has been accomplished, work on the new power station should finish in 2021, with a site that is suitable for the disposal of waste being identified beforehand. But Poland’s nuclear ambitions will not be easy to fulfil, considering the recent negative impact of the Japanese disaster and the fact that certain geological conditions have to be satisfied, such as for example having access to large amounts of water to cool the reactors.
In Italy, nuclear power was used as an energy source from 1963 to 1990. A referendum held in 1987, influenced by strong public reaction to Chernobyl, decided to repeal the funds destined for the local authorities in whose regions plants were built. In itself, the referendum did not force the closure nor forbid the construction of nuclear plants, but all the same, it led to the “death” of nuclear power, as lack of funds forced authorities to close the sites. A new referendum, which will decide whether or not to repeal this law, could signal the return of nuclear power to Italy. However, on this occasion it will be events at Fukushima that will have a considerable influence on public opinion, and give rise to heated debates, which are unfortunately often influenced by political agenda.
That being the situation in two countries which do not currently use nuclear power, it is now time to focus on those that do. Of the 440 active nuclear reactors in the world, 197 are in Europe, with a recorded production capacity of 170 gigawatts, which equates to 35% of the electrical power used in the continent. Belgium, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Holland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and the UK are the EU Member States who count nuclear energy as one of their sources of electrical power. France is the giant of the sector, with 76% of its domestic energy supply coming from the 58 nuclear plants spread across the country. For many French people, living close to a nuclear plant is just a normal part of daily life : transparency on the part of plant authorities, continuous monitoring, faith in technological progress and tax breaks for those living close to sites make France a model for any country wanting to use nuclear energy. The Fukushima effect seems to have been most deeply felt in Germany, which has 17 nuclear power plants - the third-highest number in Europe. After Chancellor Angela Merkel’s comments on what she described as “a catastrophe of apocalyptic proportions” Germany is looking to wind down its nuclear production and turn to alternative energy resources. In practice this represents a real u-turn for Merkel’s government, who announced last September their decision to extend the life of the country’s current nuclear reactors by twelve years.
Spain, however, is following France’s example. In spite of events at Fukushima and demonstrations by environmental groups, the government seems to intend to pursue its nuclear plans. In recent months, the Spanish parliament have already voted, with a sizable majority, for an increase in the maximum age threshold of a nuclear plant, which currently stands at 40 years, and lately the government have also clarified that they do not want to close the old plant at Garona any earlier than planned. To conclude this overview of the situation and the attitudes of Member States regarding the use - or not - of nuclear power, it is a disappointment to note that when it comes to such a delicate question, many just follow the “party line”, due to a lack of specific information on the subject. If people were better informed this would surely lead to knowledge of the risks and the inevitable risks that progress represents.
Article from L’Europa @ Torvergata, the Eurosblog from the Centro de Eccelenza Jean Monnet
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