Press release, Germany to prolong NPPs
“On technical grounds, 10 to 15 years (lifetime extension of nuclear power plants) is reasonable. I nevertheless have to consider as head of government how we integrate safety as the overriding principle of nuclear energy. As regards certainty of supply, the price of electricity and achievement of emissions targets, nuclear energy is desirable as an interim technology.”
OECD/NEA Study deems nuclear power “a very low risk”
Tuesday, 07 September 2010 10:14 | 
A study conducted by the OECD’s Nuclear Energy Agency entitled, Comparing Nuclear Accident Risks with Those from Other Energy Sources, shows that nuclear energy represents a “very low risk” compared to other sources of energy such as fossil fuels.
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The German coalition government agreed on 5 September to extend the operational duration of the country’s 17 nuclear power plants (NPPs) by 12 years on average. The decision, which would be coupled with a nuclear tax, still needs to be approved by the Parliament. The agreement is part of a broader energy strategy due to be announced later this month.
The 23rd edition of the so-called “red book”, Uranium 2009: Resources, Production and Demand, published on 20 July by the OECD Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), shows that total identified resources of uranium are sufficient to supply worldwide nuclear power plants at 2008 consumption rates for over a century.
On 1 July, the Finnish parliament voted with a clear majority (120-72 and 121-71) in favour of the applications submitted by TVO and Fennovoima for the construction of two more nuclear reactors in Finland, thereby ratifying the “decision in principle” that the Finnish government reached in April 2010. The parliament also approved the building by Posiva of an extended spent fuel repository in Eurajoki municipality.
The Swedish parliament voted on 18 June to officially bring to an end the nuclear phase-out policy that was first introduced in 1980 and paved the way for the building of new nuclear reactors in Sweden.
