18 nuclear power plants in the European Union are operating without a valid license, according to research conducted by Germany’s Green Party.
This number doesn’t include the 34 other illegal power plants in neighboring European countries that aren’t part of the EU.
All operating illegal atomic reactors were never subject to an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA).
Spiegel indicated that — should any reactor fail an EIA assessment — governments in those countries where reactors are operating may face serious consequences.
[…]
Many of the power plants should have already been subject to an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), according to a report put together by Germany’s Green Party member and nuclear expert Sylvia Kotting-Uhl.
An EIA aims to identify the environmental consequences of major projects, such as the construction of an airport, and has proposed some lesser damaging alternatives.
Some of the EU countries running the illegal power plants include the Netherlands, Bulgaria, Ukraine, Belgium, Finland, the UK, Sweden, and Switzerland.
[…]
If these power stations were to fail an EIA following the publication of this report, the EU countries in charge will be facing serious consequences, according to German publication the Spiegel.
In France alone, there are 58 pressurized water reactors, which produce over 70% of the country’s electricity. Many of them are classified as “high-risk reactors” because they are more than 30 years old. The recommended operating age of a nuclear power plant is 40 years.
[…]
Another nuclear power plant at the Mühleberg site in Switzerland has also been classified as particularly dangerous by an Austrian environmental protection organization called “Global2000”.
[…]
Read the original article on Business Insider Deutschland. This post originally appeared on Business Insider Deutschland and has been translated from German.
Read more at 18 nuclear power plants in the EU are operating without a valid license
