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EU to test nuclear reactor threats from earthquakes, floods, terrorism

The tests should assess threats from earthquakes, floods, airplane crashes and terrorists and examine the robustness of backup cooling systems, according to Günther Oettinger, the bloc’s energy commissioner. The tests should also assess the security of ponds where highly radioactive spent fuel is stored, Luis Echávarri, director general of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development’s Nuclear Energy Agency, said

Europe to Test Safety of Nuclear Reactors NYTimes.com  By JAMES KANTER March 25, 2011 BRUSSELS — After a week of bickering over the future of nuclear power, European Union leaders reached one point of agreement Friday as they decided that reactors across all 27 member nations should undergo safety tests in response to the continuing radiation leaks from a beleaguered plant in Japan……. bitter divisions persist between countries like Austria, which banned nuclear energy in the late 1970s, and Britain, which is planning to build a new fleet of reactors to replace its aging models.

The tests agreed to Friday are voluntary, but José Manuel Barroso, the president of the European Commission, said the tests should be conducted at all 143 reactors across the Union. Mr. Barroso also called for “comprehensive” tests on plants in neighboring countries like Switzerland.

The tests represent only a modest step toward centralized oversight of nuclear energy facilities in Europe, where member states zealously guard control over their energy industries. But Mrs. Merkel insisted that the reviews “will be somewhat different from the safety tests we have had up until now.”

The plan approved Friday calls for national regulators to conduct the tests on the basis of common criteria drafted with the European Commission. The leaders said national regulators would then make the results public. Each government would evaluate the results and make any decisions on shutdowns.

The tests should assess threats from earthquakes, floods, airplane crashes and terrorists and examine the robustness of backup cooling systems, according to Günther Oettinger, the bloc’s energy commissioner. The tests should also assess the security of ponds where highly radioactive spent fuel is stored, Luis Echávarri, director general of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development’s Nuclear Energy Agency, said in an interview this week.

Europe to Test Safety of Nuclear Reactors – NYTimes.com

March 26, 2011 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | EUROPE, safety