Only tough Merkel is backing off

Intense anxiety has overwhelmed many European countries, which after the earthquake and tsunami in Japan see a new nuclear threat at he gates. 11 of the 52 reactors in the country have been turned off and there is a strong risk of leakage of radioactivity into the atmosphere.

In view of developments, Europe is performing «endurance tests» on its nuclear facilities to verify compliance with all safety rules. The risk of possible nuclear contamination has shaken the European leaders, who are beginning to look at this energy source in a whole new way.

First in line is Angela Merkel, who announced the temporary closure of seven nuclear power stations in Germany, put in operation before 1980, but without clarifying exactly when this will happen. She also stressed that Germany will perform safety controls in all the reactors of the country.

France is moving along the same lines, as it relies on nuclear power by 75%, and prime minister François Fillon declared that the French government is expected to carry out checks in 58 factories operating in the country, and the resulting information will be used to further strengthen the security measures.

Albania, Bulgaria and Turkey stand on the other side and are proceeding to the construction of nuclear factories. Albanian Prime Minister Sali Berisha had set as a main objective the construction of nuclear plants since 2007 and only last January did the government file the first drafts, which talk about the construction of fourth-generation nuclear reactors in 2020.

Despite the serious concerns caused by the recent events in Japan, Bulgarians seem adamant in their decision to purchase a new nuclear reactor. The Minister of Economy and Energy of the country, Traicho Traikov, spoke to the Bulgarian media on Tuesday and assured them that the purchase from Russia is continuing normally, leaving open the possibility that it might be placed at Kozloduy and not in Belene. The main concern of our neighbors right now, apart from the exact location, is the security of the rest of the reactors in Kozloduy.

Turkey is proceeding unabated as well, with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan saying «we’re not thinking of stopping the plan for the nuclear plant». The Turkish prime minister stressed that «there is no investment without risk» and confirmed that the timetable that is already underway will continue normally, as there is no issue of suspension.

In our wider neighborhood, just a day before the devastating earthquake in Japan Egypt also declared that despite the recent political turmoil, the country intends to continue normally toward the creation of its first nuclear reactor, as Arab Energy Minister Hassan Yunes maintained to the Arab News agency. He stressed that Egypt wants to move away from the existing energy sources and focus on a new one. The aim is to build 4 nuclear power plants by 2025, with the first one opening its doors in 2019.

Furthermore, the governments of Russia and China said they will not change their plans to build new reactors and Chile, with high seismic activity over time, continues to consider nuclear energy as a solution. Spain considers that there must not be a hasty decision on this matter.

In Washington, White House spokesman Jay Karni said the use of nuclear energy «remains part of the broader energy strategy of the president».

Nuclear energy is a key source energy mainly in Europe. Hungary, Slovenia, Switzerland, Sweden, Ukraine, Belgium and Slovakia, among others, support their electrification by means of nuclear power plants on a large scale. Still quite high on the list of countries that mainly use this energy source are Armenia and South Korea.