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Germany to reconsider nuclear policy
Following Japan’s Fukushima nuclear plant disaster, German Chancellor Angela Merkel is facing resurgence in public fears about nuclear power, who might review her decision to extend the lifetimes of nuclear reactors.
News media report that two old nuclear plants in Germany may be shut down as a result of the Fukushima explosions, at least temporarily. Merkel said she would discuss details with the plant operators in the coming days. Germany is pending a safety review of its entire nuclear industry following Japan’s disaster.
In a news conference, Merkel said she was imposing a three-month moratorium on the extension of lifetimes for the country’s 17 nuclear power stations.
Most Germans are opposed to nuclear power, and the Fukushima disaster has heightened fears of the technology and strengthened the nuclear lobby and the opposition Green Party ahead of the elections.
On Saturday, some 60,000 people demonstrated against the continued operation of the ageing Neckarwestheim nuclear plant, forming a 45-kilometer (28-mile) human chain from the plant to the city of Stuttgart.
John Mifsud •
This nuclear incident could not have come at worse time for the world. Germany and most of Western/Northern Europe is not a seismic area, but the petroleum lobby and flagging Green politicians will have a heyday in the media.
