Four German nuclear power plants may have to shut down later this year unless the ban on waste transports is lifted, according to the Welt am Sontag newspaper. The paper reports that the Neckarwestheim, Stade, Biblis and Philippsburg plants are running out of space to store waste on site.
The transport of nuclear waste in Germany has been banned since the discovery of radioactive ‘hot-spots’ on transport casks in May 1998 (See feature p24).
Germany’s environment minister, the Green Party’s Jurgen Trittin, has insisted that the ban will remain in place until the end of the year and will only be lifted when tighter safety criteria are met.
