EU to Decide on Nuclear Stress Tests by June, Oettinger Says
The European Union will probably agree on parameters for stress tests on nuclear power plants by next month, EU Energy Commissioner Guenther Oettinger said.
The bloc is likely to reach an accord on the remaining “two or three” points in the next few days, and the tests may begin as soon as June 1, the commissioner said today at a press conference following a nuclear energy meeting in Prague.
The EU wants to reassess safety risks after the Fukushima nuclear disaster in Japan. Oettinger wants the tests to include man-made threats such as terrorist attacks, going beyond the recommendation by the Western European Nuclear Regulators’ Association, which has said the checks should focus on resistance to earthquakes, floods and other natural disasters.
The Czech Republic is already testing its nuclear and other energy facilities for a potential terrorist attack, Prime Minister Petr Necas said at the press conference. Individual members of the European Union should remain in control of their respective energy policies, he said.
The Czech Republic, which plans to add two nuclear reactors at its Temelin power plant, is hosting a two-day nuclear energy forum in Prague. Czech Industry Minister Martin Kocourek and his French counterpart, Eric Besson, signed an agreement on nuclear cooperation yesterday in Prague.
France’s Areva SA is one of the three bidders for construction of the Temelin reactors. The other bidders are Westinghouse Electric Corp. and a Russian-Czech group led by ZAO Atomstroyexport. Temelin’s owner, state-controlled CEZ AS, is scheduled to pick a winner in 2013.
“Even though each candidate offers a different solution, all three offer very high quality and are equal,” Kocourek said last night after the signing of the agreement.
To contact the reporter on this story: Ladka Bauerova in Prague at lbauerova@bloomberg.net
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Will Kennedy at wkennedy3@bloomberg.net
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