BRUSSELS — German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Thursday nuclear energy policy across the European Union has to fundamentally change to take the fallout of Japan’s nuclear accident into account.
Merkel has already ordered the temporary closure of seven of Germany’s oldest reactors and said ahead of Thursday’s EU summit of government leaders in Brussels that nations using nuclear energy “cannot just go back to normal.”
Her cautious approach contrasts with that of France, which early this week launched an impassioned defense of nuclear power. The EU leaders are expected approve the principle of strict stress tests on all 143 reactors in the region but leave the technical criteria to be decided.
“In Germany, the time after the moratorium won’t be like the time before the moratorium. That’s why Europe also has to learn its lessons,” Merkel said as she walked into the two-day summit meeting where the political fallout of the accident at the Fukushima nuclear plant is high on the agenda.
Japan’s Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear complex was hit March 11 by a huge earthquake and massive tsunami, causing it to release radiation, and sparking fears of widespread contamination.
“Fukushima made it clear to me that we can’t continue as before,” Merkel said.
UPDATE, Recharge, Merkel to dump nuclear in favour of renewables:
German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservatives are preparing to abandon nuclear power for good and to spend billions on expanding the use of renewables to meet future energy demands.
