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Germany to Shut Down 7 Nuclear Reactors

   VOA News  March 15, 2011
   German Chancellor Angela Merkel speaks during a news conference in the
   Chancellery  in  Berlin  after  meeting  with  state premiers of every
   German  state  that  is  home  to  a  nuclear plant to discuss the new
   policy, which will mean the closure of older reactors,

Photo: Reuters

   German Chancellor Angela Merkel speaks during a news conference in the
   Chancellery  in  Berlin  after  meeting  with  state premiers of every
   German  state  that  is  home  to  a  nuclear plant to discuss the new
   policy, which will mean the closure of older reactors, March 15, 2011

   The  German  government  has announced plans to shut down seven of the
   country's  aging nuclear power plants pending a safety review in light
   of recent events in Japan.
   Chancellor  Angela Merkel said the shutdown will last for three months
   and  will  affect plants built before 1980. She announced the closures
   Tuesday  after  a  meeting  with governors of states that have nuclear
   plants.
   Environment  Minister  Norbert  Roettgen  said  it is not clear if the
   plants will remain closed or be reconnected at a later time.
   On Monday, Merkel announced a temporary suspension of a plan to extend
   the life of a number of German nuclear plants. The previous government
   decided  a  decade ago to shut down all of the country's nuclear power
   plants by 2021, but the Merkel administration postponed the switch-off
   by 12 years.
   Meanwhile  Tuesday,  the  European  Union  is  convening  a meeting in
   Brussels  to  discuss  safety  measures  in  place for reactors on the
   continent.
   According  to  the  European Nuclear Society, as of January 2011 there
   were 195 nuclear plants in operation and under construction in Europe.

   Some information for this report was provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.

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