Shaking off Safety Concerns

摘要

The tragic natural disasters that unfolded in Japan in March, and in particular their impact on cooling systems at the Fukushima-Diiachi nuclear installation, have prompted considerable soul-searching by the world's energy policy makers as they wrestle with the challenges of security of energy supply and climate change. Certainly, the earthquake and tsunami resulted in nuclear facilities the world over being reassessed, with a view to appraising their robustness to natural — if exceptional — phenomena. In Germany, for example, many nuclear installations have been ordered closed temporarily to allow a thorough assessment, while China has suspended its new build program for nuclear power until the new assessments are completed.