Brussels, 12/01/2012 (Agence Europe) - In the light of the assessments presented on 31 December 2011 by the national nuclear safety authorities, the 143 atomic reactors in 14 EU member states have successfully passed the stress tests. No immediate cessation of activity is therefore required, but France is to invest a substantial amount to increase the sturdiness of its nuclear plants.
Launched on 1 June 2011 after the accident that occurred in March in Fukushima Daiichi (Japan) further to an earthquake and tsunami, the tests on resistance to stress from natural disasters and technical failings in EU nuclear plants (and those of neighbouring countries), conducted on the basis of common criteria agreed in May by the European Nuclear Safety Regulators Group (ENSREG) and the Commission, are now in their third phase. After the report on 31 October by the operators, the national safety authorities gave their assessments at the end of December. ENSREG is to compile, by April, final national reports from member states using nuclear power -Germany, Belgium, Bulgaria, Spain, Finland, France, Hungary, Netherlands, Czech Republic, Romania, United Kingdom, Slovakia, Slovenia and Sweden plus Lithuania which is now decommissioning the last part of its Ignalina plant.
In the Czech Republic and Slovakia, national regulators confirmed in early January that the reactors used in those two countries (six in the former, four in the latter) have passed the tests without problem. In the United Kingdom, the nuclear regulator office said on 4 January that the 19 reactors do not present any fundamental weaknesses in their design or resistance, but nonetheless expects operators to improve safety measures to face up to exceptional occurrences such as flooding. In Hungary, the OAH announced on 6 January that a successful test had been conducted for the Paks plant, specifying that, although the levels of safety could be improved, no immediate intervention was required. In Finland, the four reactors used in Loviisa and Olkiluoto are, according to STUK, well prepared to face exceptional circumstances. In Sweden, the national safety authority considers the ten reactors in activity are robust, but admits that the level of safety could be increased to manage crisis situations. In Belgium, AFCN considers that the Belgian nuclear plants have a sufficient level of protection, with the three oldest plants in Doel and Tihange being less sturdy. In Bulgaria, the Kozloduy plant also passed the tests, the national safety agency states. In France, the national safety authority concluded that 58 rectors in operation are at a sufficiently safe level so that immediate cessation can be ruled out but that massive investment is needed to increase the plants' robustness.
Under the coordination of ENSREG, national assessments are now under peer assessment by experts from other member states and a Commission representative. The European Commission will present the final results to European leaders at their meeting in June 2012.
The risk analysis relating to the human factor (terrorist attacks, aviation accidents, etc) and the management of threats relating to acts of malevolent intent are assessed in parallel as part of a process supervised by an ad hoc group of the Council on nuclear safety. (EH/transl.jl)