UPDATED 10:11 A.M. --China's State Council halted all new reactor construction Wednesday, pending revised safety regulations. The country also ordered a comprehensive inspection of its plants.
China's current energy plan sets aside $10.7 billion annually for nuclear plant construction over the next decade.
Some two dozen reactors are under construction in China, according to Reuters.
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European leaders issued further calls for inspections of nuclear reactors Tuesday, and Germany temporarily shut down seven of its plants.
The European Commission decided all 143 power plants in 27 European Union countries will be tested for emergency preparedness. Following radiation releases and core damage still unfolding at a Japanese nuclear plant brought on by a 9.0 magnitude earthquake, European officials have said they will reevaluate EU plants’ preparedness for emergencies like floods, tsunamis and terrorist attacks.
German Prime Minister Angela Merkel took precautions a step further on Tuesday, ordering seven plants build before 1980 to shut down temporarily. A day before, she reversed her position on legislation that would have extended licenses at Germany’s nuclear plants.
According to a report in the New York Times, an estimated 110,000 people protested against nuclear power in some 450 German towns Monday. The newspaper reported that nuclear plants supply a third of the electricity in the EU.
Outside Europe, some developing nations like India and China remain committed to nuclear power, while others are giving it more scrutiny. Chile was expected to sign a memorandum of understanding with the U.S. on nuclear power next week, but the Chilean energy minister indicated the country is reconsidering whether it will use the technology.
China's current energy plan sets aside $10.7 billion annually for nuclear plant construction over the next decade.
Some two dozen reactors are under construction in China, according to Reuters.
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European leaders issued further calls for inspections of nuclear reactors Tuesday, and Germany temporarily shut down seven of its plants.
The European Commission decided all 143 power plants in 27 European Union countries will be tested for emergency preparedness. Following radiation releases and core damage still unfolding at a Japanese nuclear plant brought on by a 9.0 magnitude earthquake, European officials have said they will reevaluate EU plants’ preparedness for emergencies like floods, tsunamis and terrorist attacks.
German Prime Minister Angela Merkel took precautions a step further on Tuesday, ordering seven plants build before 1980 to shut down temporarily. A day before, she reversed her position on legislation that would have extended licenses at Germany’s nuclear plants.
According to a report in the New York Times, an estimated 110,000 people protested against nuclear power in some 450 German towns Monday. The newspaper reported that nuclear plants supply a third of the electricity in the EU.
Outside Europe, some developing nations like India and China remain committed to nuclear power, while others are giving it more scrutiny. Chile was expected to sign a memorandum of understanding with the U.S. on nuclear power next week, but the Chilean energy minister indicated the country is reconsidering whether it will use the technology.
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