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German gov't, energy companies agree to improve nuclear safety
Berlin (AFP) Aug 23, 2007 The German government and four companies operating nuclear power plants in the country on Thursday agreed they would tighten safety measures, a month after two incidents sparked a national outcry. "We have agreed to put in place steps that will further improve the safety climate at nuclear power plant operations within a year," the environment ministry said in a statement. It said one of the aims was to ensure that any system failures or operational errors at nuclear plants are conceded and corrected as soon as possible in future. The head of Vattenfall Europe, a unit of Swedish energy giant Vattenfall, resigned last month after authorities accused the company of failing to report the full extent of problems at two nuclear plants in northern Germany. Officials said a fire that broke out at the Kruemmel plant in the state of Schleswig-Holstein on June 28 had reached the building housing the nuclear reactor, though Vattenfall employees had initially denied this. The blaze, which was triggered by a short circuit, came just hours after an incident at the nearby Brunsbuettel plant. In this case, officials said, Vattenfall waited several days to inform the state of problems that arose when its staff later tried to restart the plant. Thursday's meeting was attended by senior representatives of Vattenfall Europe and the German energy rivals EON, RWE and EnBW. The companies undertook to draft new rules governing their communication with the authorities. The June incidents hit a nerve in an environmentally conscious nation that is deeply divided as to whether it should be using nuclear energy at all. The country has begun a long-term phase-out of its nuclear energy programme and expects to mothball the last of its 17 plants around 2020. Environment Minister Sigmar Gabriel on Thursday proposed that the oldest reactors be phased out earlier than planned and their workload transferred to the more modem plants to reduce safety risks. Community Email This Article Comment On This Article Related Links Powering The World in the 21st Century at Energy-Daily.com
Oil prices mixed on surprise jump in US crude reserves
New York (AFP) Aug 22, 2007World oil prices were mixed Wednesday as traders weighed a shock increase in crude reserves in the United States, the world's biggest energy consumer. |
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