Nuclear Troubles
July 21, 2007
The plant at Brunsbüttel, west of Hamburg, had been in a "standby" state since the middle of this month for a change of oil at its transformer, but must now be powered down so government
inspectors can take a closer look.
Inspectors for the state of Schleswig-Holstein said on Saturday they would check reports that a sub-standard type of fastening had been used to bolt a gantry to a wall near the reactor.
Vattenfall's Krümmel plant east of the city has been offline for repairs since its transformer oil caught fire on June 28 and sub-standard fastenings were subsequently found there too.
Vattenfall has taken a lashing from the media and is at odds with the inspectorate. The Swedish company insists are no grave safety risks at the two plants, which both failed on June 28 because of non-nuclear defects.
During the week, Vattenfall sacked senior executives at its German unit for not being frank enough to the media.
Speeding up the plans?
Social Democrats in Chancellor Angela Merkel's ruling coalition have called for a speeding up of plans to close down all 17 nuclear power stations in Germany by 2021, with older plants scrapped sooner.
By contrast, centre-right leaders called for a modest extension past 2021 to curb carbon-dioxide emissions.
That was topped on Saturday by Günther Beckstein, the Christian Social Union's choice as next premier of Bavaria state, who said the legislation must be changed to allow nuclear power for several more decades.
Media attacks
Staff at German nuclear power stations feel under siege from the media and public opinion, according to the chief executive of the Swedish utility, Lars Goran Josefsson.
"Our staff aren't frightened of nuclear energy, but they are sometimes frightened of the outside world," Josefsson said in an interview released on Saturday by the German weekly Der Spiegel. "A lot of them think, 'Our enemies are out there and will distort whatever we say.'"
He insisted that both plants in Schleswig-Holstein state were "absolutely safe."
All of Germany's 17 reactors must shut down by 2021 under German legislation, but Vattenfall has sought a change in scheduling that would allow Brunsbüttel to run longer if another reactor is mothballed earlier.
"I see no reason to withdraw that application," said the Swede.
The state of Schleswig-Holstein's regulatory department meanwhile rejected allegations by pro-business politicians that it, not Vattenfall, had delayed for five days disclosures about the June 28 incidents.
A spokesman said it had taken experts several days to analyze reports and the findings had always been made public instantly after that.