The spent-fuel pools of French utility EDF’s nuclear reactors are highly vulnerable to attacks, Greenpeace said in a report published on Tuesday. Written by a group of nuclear experts and delivered to French authorities, the report says that spent-fuel pools, which typically contain the equivalent of one to three nuclear reactor cores, have not been designed to withstand external aggression. An attack leading to a loss of cooling water could spark a spent-fuel fire that could contaminate areas as far as 250 kilometers away, Greenpeace’s Yannick Rousselet said.
Reuters 10th Oct 2017 read more »
The Local 10th Oct 2017 read more »
The nuclear power plants around us are “The Sword of Damocles” over our heads. A new report by independent experts, submitted to authorities in France, Belgium, Germany, Switzerland and Luxembourg, questions security at French and Belgian nuclear facilities and points at their vulnerability to outside attacks. These experts are particularly concerned about a certain type of facility at nuclear plants: the spent fuel storage pools. These pools tend to contain the highest volume of radioactive matter in a nuclear plant and are very poorly protected. Rather than wait for the worst to happen, let’s address this issue and take action.
Greenpeace International 10th Oct 2017 read more »
[Machine Translation] Where is the highest concentration of radioactivity found in a nuclear power plant? Which part of a power plant is most vulnerable to an external attack? The answer to these two questions is alarming, because it is unique: the cooling ponds for used fuel. A confidential report of independent experts, presented today to the nuclear authorities, raises serious questions about our nuclear security. It is high time we no longer consider the risk of a deliberate attack by our nuclear power plants as a taboo subject. Following the attacks in Brussels and Paris, and the alleged interest in our nuclear installations, seven independent experts from four countries examined the Belgian and French power stations to study their degree of resistance to an attack or an accident. ‘plane. They have focused on cooling ponds that are particularly vulnerable because they are located outside the reactor enclosure.
Greenpeace Belgium 10th Oct 2017 read more »
Greenpeace France 10th Oct 2017 read more »
Independent experts who contributed to this report: Oda Becker (Germany), Manon Besnard (France), David Boilley (France), Ed Lyman (United States), Gordon MacKerron (United Kingdom), Yves Marignac (France), and Jean-Claude Zerbib (France). Report commissioned by Greenpeace France. This report on the security of nuclear reactors and fuel storage pools in France and Belgium draws on the contributions of seven experts from France, Germany, the United Kingdom and the United States – specialists in nuclear safety, security, radioprotection and economics – to bring together the full range of expertise necessary to analyse the problem. Each contributor is only responsible for his/her contribution in the form it was commissioned and separately delivered to Greenpeace France. Report summary – Security of nuclear reactors.
Greenpeace 10th Oct 2017 read more »
[Machine Translation] Terrorism: four questions after Greenpeace’s worrying report on the safety of nuclear power plants. For eighteen months, seven experts studied different scenarios of terrorist attack that could target the French power stations. The document is so sensitive that only a redacted version of the elements of greatest concern has been made public. The NGO Greenpeace is releasing an alarmist report on the safety of the 19 French nuclear sites to the terrorist threat on Tuesday, 10 October. Le Parisien, who was able to consult the entire text, reveals the main lessons. The environmental NGO commissioned seven experts (three French, one German, two British and one American) to draft the report. For eighteen months, these engineers, researchers or doctors in nuclear physics, who are familiar with French installations and collaborate for some with the authorities, have studied various scenarios of terrorist attacks that could target French power plants. “The result is detailed to the extreme: types of weapons, strategies of attack, land used (by air, land or sea) or gear (planes, helicopters, drones …), nothing is left to chance” , writes Le Parisien. To avoid giving ideas to malicious people, only a redacted version of these details will be made public. EDF, which operates the French nuclear fleet, was not involved in the design of the report so that its authors could work independently.
France Info 10th Oct 2017 read more »
This Greenpeace report on the safety of nuclear power plants is so alarming that only a “light” version has been made public.
Huffington Post 10th Oct 2017 read more »
Les Echos 10th Oct 2017 read more »
