nuclear-news

Nuclear energy dilemma in Europe, as consensus om nuclear industry crumbles

Nuclear Options Vex Europe WSJ December 31, 2012,  By GÉRALDINE AMIEL
and ALESSANDRO TORELLO, FESSENHEIM, France—The owner of the local
nuclear power plant, Electricité de France SA, EDF.FR +1.23% is
spending €20 million ($26.4 million) to upgrade it and extend its life
span for another decade, seemingly breathing new life into this town
on the German border.

But the French governent—EDF’s majority shareholder—says it plans to
close the site in 2016, amid an effort to reduce the country’s
reliance on nuclear power and promote renewable energy.

Amid uncertainty, EDF’s overhaul is proceeding. But the conflict at
Fessenheim illustrates a broader dilemma facing France and other
European Union countries. Citizens have grown more wary about the
dangers of the atom since the March 2011 nuclear catastrophe in Japan,
and the political consensus that once existed in some countries around
nuclear energy is crumbling…..
France’s Socialist President François Hollande, who made the decision
to close Fessenheim and other plants, said he seeks to transform his
country “into a nation of environmental excellence.”

He plans to lower the share of nuclear power in France’s energy mix to
50% by 2025. He has extended a ban on shale gas exploration and
extraction, citing pollution risks.

An unusual coalition of labor unions and business leaders is mounting
opposition to Mr. Hollande’s environmental drive.

In October, the directors of France’s 19 nuclear plants sent a joint
letter to EDF employees saying that closing the nuclear plant here
would be “a profound injustice.”

“Together, let’s all stay mobilized,” they said.

Employees have posted signs on the barbed wire surrounding the
Fessenheim plant protesting against the decision to close it.

Other European countries are grappling with similar problems……..
In Germany, the Fukushima disaster gave new ammunition to powerful
antinuclear lobby groups.

Days after the accident, the center-right coalition government of
Chancellor Angela Merkel ordered the immediate and permanent shutdown
of eight reactors. Months later, Germany concluded a legislative
process that would see its remaining nine reactors closing by 2022,
reversing an extension of their lifetimes that had just been set.

Germany also boosted its efforts to expand renewable energies such as
wind and solar power. The country produces over 25% of its electricity
from renewable sources and plans to increase this share to 35% by
2020…..
At the Fessenheim plant, which employs nearly 1,000 people, workers
and politicians vowed to defend nuclear power.

“I can’t believe they will shut down Fessenheim,” the town’s mayor
Fabienne Stich said. “Not with three million unemployed in France.”

EDF has said it would seek financial compensation from the government
if the plant is closed.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323530404578207732136806380.html

January 3, 2013 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | EUROPE, politics