The EU is exploring the closure of nuclear plants as Japan struggles to contain a possible nuclear meltdown at its Fukushima Dai-Ichi nuclear power plant following an earthquake.
European Energy Commissioner Guenther Oettinger told the International Business Times that the Japan issue brings back the focus to the safety of nuclear reactors.
“If we take it seriously and say the incident has changed the world – and much that we as an industrial society have regarded as safe and manageable is now in question – then we can’t exclude anything,” Oettinger said.
The nuclear power stations in the EU region generate one-third of the total power supply from various sources and 15% of the energy is consumed by the EU member countries.
The EU plans to assess the consequences of the Japan nuclear power crisis in concert with national nuclear safety authorities, nuclear power plant vendors and operators in this week.
And based on the discussion, the EU may take pro-active actions to address to situation.
Presently, the EU members decide for themselves on pursuing nuclear power as an energy source.
