Spain decides on aging nuclear plant
MADRID (The Associated Press) - Jul 2 - By DANIEL WOOLLS Associated
Press Writer
> The Spanish government is to allow the country's oldest nuclear
> power station to continue producing electricity for four years before
> closing it down in 2013, the industry minister said Thursday.
>
> The operating license of the Garona nuclear power plant in
> northern Spain, which came on line in 1971 and was designed to operate
> for 40 years - until 2001 - expires Sunday.
>
> "It hasn't been an easy decision, but it has been carefully
> thought out," said Miguel Sebastian.
>
> The country's nuclear regulatory agency recommended last month
> that Garona be allowed to operate for 10 more years, as long as it
> undergoes a safety upgrade.
>
> But environmental campaigners have long claimed the plant is
> outdated and suffering from severe cracking and corrosion affecting
> various components of its reactor vessel.
>
> "This decision means the continued exposure of the population and
> the environment to an increased risk of a nuclear accident from this
> dangerous plant," environmental group Greenpeace said in a statement.
>
> Residents of Garona, many of whom work at the station, have
> demonstrated asking for the station to remain operational.
>
> In the campaign leading up to his re-election to a second term
> last year, Socialist Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero
> pledged to phase out nuclear power in Spain as plants' operating
> licenses run out.
>
> Spaniards have been waiting to see if he will keep his promise
> and reject the watchdog's recommendation, as well as pressure from
> industry to keep Garona running.
>
> The government's decision will have pleased neither
> environmentalists nor those who favor nuclear power as a greenhouse
> gas-free option.
>
> Spain has six plants with a total of eight reactors that provide
> 20 percent of the country's electricity. The Garona plant provides 1.4
> percent.
>
> In comments over the past few weeks, Zapatero has hinted he will
> not heed the regulators' recommendation to keep the plant running.
>
> In a radio interview Thursday, he declined to tip his hand,
> saying only that the decision will be "balanced, responsible and one
> that is in the country's interest."
>
>
Press Writer
> The Spanish government is to allow the country's oldest nuclear
> power station to continue producing electricity for four years before
> closing it down in 2013, the industry minister said Thursday.
>
> The operating license of the Garona nuclear power plant in
> northern Spain, which came on line in 1971 and was designed to operate
> for 40 years - until 2001 - expires Sunday.
>
> "It hasn't been an easy decision, but it has been carefully
> thought out," said Miguel Sebastian.
>
> The country's nuclear regulatory agency recommended last month
> that Garona be allowed to operate for 10 more years, as long as it
> undergoes a safety upgrade.
>
> But environmental campaigners have long claimed the plant is
> outdated and suffering from severe cracking and corrosion affecting
> various components of its reactor vessel.
>
> "This decision means the continued exposure of the population and
> the environment to an increased risk of a nuclear accident from this
> dangerous plant," environmental group Greenpeace said in a statement.
>
> Residents of Garona, many of whom work at the station, have
> demonstrated asking for the station to remain operational.
>
> In the campaign leading up to his re-election to a second term
> last year, Socialist Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero
> pledged to phase out nuclear power in Spain as plants' operating
> licenses run out.
>
> Spaniards have been waiting to see if he will keep his promise
> and reject the watchdog's recommendation, as well as pressure from
> industry to keep Garona running.
>
> The government's decision will have pleased neither
> environmentalists nor those who favor nuclear power as a greenhouse
> gas-free option.
>
> Spain has six plants with a total of eight reactors that provide
> 20 percent of the country's electricity. The Garona plant provides 1.4
> percent.
>
> In comments over the past few weeks, Zapatero has hinted he will
> not heed the regulators' recommendation to keep the plant running.
>
> In a radio interview Thursday, he declined to tip his hand,
> saying only that the decision will be "balanced, responsible and one
> that is in the country's interest."
>
>