Germany, the Netherlands and Luxembourg have raised concerns over two ageing Belgian nuclear reactors recently brought back to life after being shut down for more than two years over safety concerns. German Environment Minister Barbara Hendricks this week demanded a meeting with Belgian Interior Minister Jan Jambon to express the concerns of German citizens who live in close proximity to the problem-riddled nuclear reactors. The meeting, which will take place in Brussels on Monday, comes after similar requests from Dutch and Luxembourgish officials worried about the safety of people who live near Belgium’s Doel 3 and Tihange 2 reactors. In summer 2012, Belgian authorities found small cracks in the pressure vessel of Doel 3 during a scheduled outage and safety check, opting to keep it offline until more tests were conducted. In September of the same year, the same flaws were discovered in the Tihange 3 reactor. The Doel nuclear power station – which counts four reactors in all, including the country’s oldest one – straddles the border between Belgium and the Netherlands’ western Zeeland province. The three reactors that comprise the Tihange nuclear power station are located around an hour’s drive from the borders of Germany and Luxembourg.
France24 28th Jan 2016 read more »