[miningmx.com] — FRANCE’S 58 nuclear reactors are safe and none of the plants need to be shut down, but safety systems must be improved quickly to prepare for extreme situations, the French nuclear safety authority (ASN) said on Tuesday.
The watchdog made the comment in conclusions it handed to the French government nearly 10 months after an earthquake and tsunami crippled Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, triggering the world’s worst nuclear crisis in 25 years.
“Following additional safety assessments on priority nuclear facilities, the ASN considers that the facilities assessed presented a safety level that was sufficient for it not to call for an immediate shutdown of any of them,” the ASN said.
“At the same time, the ASN considers that for operations to continue it is necessary to reinforce as soon as possible their resistance to extreme situations, beyond existing safety margins,” it added.
The ASN conclusions are based on a report delivered by French nuclear safety expert group IRSN in November.
The aim was to test the capacity of the country’s existing reactors, and of a new-generation reactor under construction, to resist flooding, earthquakes, power outages and cooling system failure, as well as the operational management of accidents.
France is in the midst of a heated debate over its dependence on nuclear energy ahead of the 2012 presidential elections.
The ruling UMP party is in favour of maintaining the status quo, while the opposition Socialist party has said it wants to close the oldest 24 reactors by 2025.
