BELGIUM: About 2,000 protesters march against the reopening of a nuclear power plant in Belgium and to mark the second anniversary of Fukushima disaster

Record ID: 216025

  • Title: BELGIUM: About 2,000 protesters march against the reopening of a nuclear power plant in Belgium and to mark the second anniversary of Fukushima disaster
  • Date: 10th March 2013
  • Summary: HUY, BELGIUM (MARCH 10, 2013) (REUTERS) PROTESTERS MARCHING MAN MARCHING PROTESTERS MARCHING BY TIHANGE NUCLEAR POWER PLANT PROTESTERS CARRYING BANNER READING (English): "STOP TIHANGE" BANNER PROTEST ORGANIZER LEO TUBBAX WALKING ALONGSIDE PROTESTERS (SOUNDBITE) (French) PROTEST ORGANIZER, LEO TUBBAX, SAYING: "We march today to commemorate the Fukushima catastrophe and aga
  • Embargoed: 25th March 2013 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Belgium
  • Country: Belgium
  • Topics: Disasters,Politics,Energy
  • Reuters ID: LVAEZ57D27NLLRO0YGE1UVHWCSQT
  • Story Text: Protesters demonstrated in Belgium on Sunday (March 10) against the possible reopening of two reactors, one in each of country's two nuclear power plants.
    About 2,000 people marched in Huy in Southern Belgium demanding the immediate and complete closure of the Tihange nuclear site, located in the town.
    Two pressurised water reactors run by Electrabel, a subsidiary of GDF-Suez, were shut down last summer after thousands of cracks caused by problems in the manufacturing process were discovered in their core tanks.
    The 'Doel 3' and 'Tihange 2' reactors have only been shut temporarily, and Electrabel has been trying to prove to the national regulator that the units are safe to restart.
    Founder of the "Stop Tihange" collective, Leo Tubbax, said protesters demand the energy group to drop its plan to re-open the two reactors.

    "We march today to commemorate the Fukushima catastrophe, to protest against the announced reopening of Tihange 2 and Doel 3 nuclear reactors, and against the 10-year life extension granted to Tihange 1 reactor, which is already 40 years old," said Tubbax.
    Protesters came from the Netherlands, France and Germany to join the demonstration in Huy, where the plant employs 2,000 workers.
    Dutch anti-nuclear activist Ronald Rom said a nuclear accident does not only affect nationals from where the plant is located.

    "When something goes wrong with these nuclear installations, we get the radiation in the Netherlands as well. But these radiations have no borders. Even in Fukushima, in five days, the radiation cloud reached the shore of the United Statesand Canada," said Rom.
    The date of this event was not chosen randomly. It coincided with the second anniversary of the Fukushima nuclear disaster.
    On March 11, 2011, an earthquake and a tsunami killed nearly 19,000 people and smashed Tokyo Electric Power Co's Fukushima plant, triggering meltdowns, spewing radiation and forcing some 160,000 people to flee their homes, many never to return.
    All but two of Japan's 50 reactors remain switched off after the disaster and no more are expected to be restarted until after July, when the new regulator is due to finalise tougher safety requirements more in line with international norms.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2013. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
Register