5th August 2006 updated 12th August 2006

Nuclear is reliable we are told. Yet the current European heatwave has forced nuclear power plants to reduce or halt production in Spain and Germany. France has also been effected: it has given its reactors special permits to dump hot water into rivers and had to import power to compensate.

Meanwhile also this week in Sweden a catastrophic incident was narrowly averted (ii). A former director of the plant says "It was pure luck there wasn't a meltdown."  Now Sweden has shut down 40% of its nuclear reactors after further faults were discovered. Shouldn't all 443 power reactors of this sort be reviewed?

British Energy admit that three of their power stations are barely operating 50% of the time and Oldbury, our nearest nuclear plant, has had one or other of the two reactors closed for over a year due to serious faults (iii).

Luckily Sweden and Germany plan to phase out nuclear power. Unfortunately a small minority of countries like France, Finland and the UK seem determined to rely on dangerous, dirty and expensive nuclear power.

Cllr Sarah Lunnon,
14 Springhill, Stroud

UPDATE: 12th August 2006

Swedish nuclear expert Lars-Olov Hogland has now said the incident was 'almost as serious' as the 1986 Chernobyl disaster. Activists in Germany and Sweden called for nuclear power to be phased out as promised by the governments of both countries. Cllr Philip Booth


Notes:

(i) Sunday July 30, 2006 in The Observer 'Heatwave shuts down nuclear power plants':
http://observer.guardian.co.uk/world/story/0,,1833620,00.html?gusrc=rss&feed=12

(ii) See Greenpeace and see:
http://www.greenpeace.org/international/press/releases/40-of-sweden-s-nuclear-reacto

(iii) See:
http://www.glosgreenparty.org.uk/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1348&Itemid=2