Nuclear power in Europe

Restarting two Belgian nuclear power plants which have been shut since the discovery of micro-cracks in their reactor vessels would be a hazardous move with potentially “catastrophic consequences”, according to a new study commissioned by the Green Party group in the European Parliament.

“A possible failure of the reactor due to sudden crack growth in case of local thermal stresses cannot be excluded and would have catastrophic consequences, especially in the vicinity of densely populated and high-economic activity areas,” it says.

Stockholm, Dec 21: A reactor in Sweden’s biggest nuclear plant was stopped after an infiltration of sea water, the operator Vattenfall and the national nuclear industry watchdog said.

“There is no safety problem” at Reactor 4 at the Ringhals plant near Gothenburg in the country’s southwest, nuclear authority inspector Jan Gsjo told the national TT news agency.

Two of Belgium's nuclear reactions have been standing idle since the summer, but in a report for the government and the Belgian nuclear watchdog electricity generator Electrabel says that both Doel 3 in Flanders and Tihange 2 in Wallonia can be taken back into service forthwith.

The reactors were shut down after thousands of tiny tears were discovered in a valve linked to the reactor vessel.

Chief Executive Luc Oursel said the reactor in Olkiluoto will ultimately cost about 8 billion euros, same as a similar reactor it is building in Flamanville, in northern France. That's well over the last cost estimate of around EUR6.4 billion.

"Our estimation is that the whole project (in Finland) will have a cost in constant euros close to Flamanville," Mr. Oursel said during a press conference.