Brussels, 17/01/2013 (Agence Europe) - Ecologists at the European Parliament have welcomed the decision by the Belgian nuclear inspection agency to not authorise the immediate restart of the Doel 3 and Tihange 2 plants.
The Belgian federal nuclear inspection agency (AFCN) is awaiting further information and tests by the electricity company Electrabel. On Tuesday 15 January, the agency ruled out the possibility of starting up the Doel 3 and Tihange 2 nuclear reactors, after detecting fissures in the reactor pressure vessels.
Last week, the Greens at the European Parliament presented a report on the state of the steel deficiencies in the reactor pressure vessels. Speaking on behalf of the Greens group, Rebecca Harms (Germany), called on the Belgian authorities to provide a response to the questions raised by the expert and author of the report, Dr Ilse Tweer, and welcomed the decision made by the AFCN on Wednesday.
In a press release, Harms denounced the lack of nuclear transparency in Belgium and insisted that the damaged reactors should not be started up without there being a clear and unequivocal explanation regarding the damages. She added that all relevant documentation and inspection reports should be published forthwith, to allow for an appropriate assessment of the situation and deplored the fact that “vital documents had been withheld so far”. Harms has called on the European commissioner for energy, Günter Oettinger, to ensure that the demands of the Green group are taken seriously. The German MEP insisted that all major concerns had to be clarified satisfactorily and that all measures proposed by the experts should be considered as a prerequisite before any possible restart is agreed. She is also demanding that in light of the Tihange 2 and Doel 3 conclusions, other reactors in the EU are tested. (EH/transl.fl)