German nuclear facilities closing down over safety fears

Arizona State News.Net
Tuesday 15th March, 2011

Germany has decided to take offline some of its pre-1980 nuclear plants.

Following Japan's nuclear-radiation crisis, Chancellor Angela Merkel made the decision to take seven out of 17 reactors offline for three months for the country to reconsider plans to extend the lives of the plants.

She has said Germany would temporarily shut down the reactors that went into operation before the end of 1980.

A previous government decided a decade ago it would shut all 17 German nuclear plants by 2021, but the Merkel administration last year moved to extend their operation by an average 12 years.

Last year public anger almost closed down the Neckarwestheim 1 reactor near Stuttgart in southwest Germany, but Merkel decided to go against local agitation.

Vladimir Putin, Russia's prime minister has also ordered Russian authorities to carry out a review of the future of nuclear energy.

He has requested that the energy ministry, nuclear agency and environment ministry carry out an analysis of the current condition of the atomic sector.

Putin said he also wanted an analysis of the plans for future development within one month.

Have your say on this story