Germany Will Halt 25% of Nuclear Capacity for Safety Review
March 15th, 2011Via: Bloomberg:
Germany will halt nuclear reactors accounting for 25 percent of its atomic energy capacity as part of a safety review after explosions at reactors in Japan.
The country will keep its seven oldest nuclear reactors offline as part of a nationwide safety review to run through June, Chancellor Angela Merkel told reporters in Berlin today. Two of the seven are currently offline, while the remainder totals 5.2 gigawatts of the 20.7 gigawatts installed over Germany’s 17 reactors.
Germany, which relies on reactors for 23 percent of its power, is the first European country to take such measures after explosions at Japan’s Fukushima plant sparked safety concerns. German electricity, a European benchmark, rose on the outlook for lower supply while European Union carbon dioxide permits gained as utilities may burn more fossil fuels to meet demand.
Is it my imagination or is now a better time than ever for us to be having a conversation about Thorium?
http://www.wired.com/magazine/2009/12/ff_new_nukes/