Nuclear energy: New study highlights serious nuclear incidents since Chernobyl
The Greens/EFA group in the European Parliament is today presenting a new study on accidents in nuclear power plants since the Chernobyldisaster in 1986 (1). The study, which was commissioned by the group, is being presented on the same day as the EP is due to debate a report on assessing 50 years of the Euratom Treaty (2). Speaking at the launch, Greens energy spokesperson Rebecca Harms said:
"This study makes clear that nuclear power remains a high risk technology despite the fact that we try to bury our heads in the sand with regard to its risks. Just because there has not been a nuclear meltdown since Chernobyl does not mean that there will not be one again. Every year there are hundreds of 'near misses' or other incidents in nuclear installations around the world. The Forsmark incident last summer shattered this complacent approach to nuclear incidents. It may have only been a matter of minutes by which an accident on the scale of Chernobyl was prevented from happening in Sweden.
"This study aims to draw attention to the ever-present risk of nuclear power and, in doing so, take the wind out of the sails of the nuclear lobby, which has tried to jump on the climate change bandwagon. The industry is trying to remarket nuclear energy as a solution for climate change and some climate strategists in the UN and EU institutions have bought into their pitch. A nuclear power expansion and the consequent expansion of the nuclear risk cannot be our answer to climate change."
Monica Frassoni, Co-President of the Greens/EFA group, added:
"It is important to shed light on the persisting risks of nuclear power. The plans of ENEL, the Italian energy firm, to construct nuclear plants in the new Member States are of particular concern. Its assurances that these projects would meet the highest security standards have been exposed as hollow for the planned reactor at Standort Mochovce in Slovakia, where ENEL is constructing a reactor, which was designed in the Soviet era. Even the approval for the project dates back to 1986, the same year as Chernobyl."
Mycle Schneider, coordinator of the study, stated:
"For the past 20 years the world has lived with the illusion that we have mastered nuclear safety. In fact, there are countless events in nuclear power plants every day and a major nuclear accident has been lurking around the corner more than once since Chernobyl. The scale used by the IAEA to measure nuclear incidents (INES) (3) is misleading because it only takes into account the danger level when it's already too late."
Editors notes:
(1) The study 'Residual Risk' was carried out by seven independent experts from the Union of Concerned Scientists (USA), the Öko-Institut (Germany) and the Institut für Risikoforschung (Austria) and carried out by Mycle Schneider (France). Click for the report and summary.
(2) The report (Maldeikis) 'Assessing Euratom - 50 years of European nuclear energy' will be discussed by the European Parliament in plenary on Wednesday, 9 May, and voted on Thursday.
(3) International Nuclear Event Scale of the IAEA in Vienna.
