European countries reported their progress in implementing stress tests of nuclear power plants in the wake of the Fukushima Daiichi incident on 15 September.
Some countries, such as UK, Bulgaria, Netherlands and Sweden, have announced that tests are under way. Other countries, such as Germany and Finland, have not yet made any public announcement.
Others, including Belgium, France, Hungary and Spain, have completed the tests and have published detailed reports. The European Nuclear Safety Regulators Association, ENSREG, has published all of the reports on its web site.
EDF, for example, said that 300 engineers were involved in producing supplementary safety reports for 19 sites of nuclear power plants that are operating or under construction. The studies considered the plants’ safety margins with regard to risks of earthquakes and floods, the simultaneous loss of cooling and electricity supply, the consequences of serious accidents, and relevant rules for subcontractors.
EDF said that the results generally show a good level of safety for its plants, although it has proposed supplementary measures to the French nuclear regulator ASN.
Definitive national reports are due at the end of the year.
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