WRITTEN QUESTION E-3277/01

by Hiltrud Breyer (Verts/ALE) to the Commission

(26 November 2001)

Subject: Nuclear power stations as potential targets for terrorist attacks

1. Is the Commission also of the opinion that nuclear power stations are in principle potential targets for terrorist attacks like those on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon in the USA?

2. In the event of a plane being deliberately crashed into a nuclear plant, the possibility cannot be ruled out that in unfavourable circumstances (full fuel tank, large plane, high speed, specific angle of impact) the reactor building would be damaged or pierced, even in the case of a modern nuclear power station. Has the Commission investigated the possible consequences of such an event for Europe?

3. The transport of nuclear material presents a particular security risk, as even the crash of a small plane or other forms of terrorist attacks

could lead to large areas of Europe becoming contaminated by radioactivity. How does the Commission intend to combat these security risks? Would it not be better to suspend the transport of nuclear material in Europe for the time being, that is for as long as the international security situation remains tense?

4. Can the Commission force European nuclear power station operators or the Member States in which nuclear power stations are located to revise their safety standards in view of these new forms of terrorist attacks and their inherent danger?

5. How does the Commission view the proposal to close down until further notice nuclear power plants which do not have appropriate safety standards?

Answer given by Mrs de Palacio on behalf of the Commission

(4 February 2002)

1. and 2. Nuclear power stations, like any other industrial installations such as chemical plants or other forms of power generation, are not risk-free.

However, particular concerns about non-proliferation and radiation protection have made the nuclear sector one of the industrial sectors with the most stringent safety and security standards.

An accidental plane crash into a nuclear power station falls in the risk category of external events associated with human activity, a type of accident taken into account in nuclear power station design. The national authorities are responsible for ensuring that practical action is taken at the design stage, though the situation varies according to the State and the generation of nuclear plant concerned.

According to the information available to the Commission, in most countries the relative risk of an air crash has been taken into consideration, with the probability of such an event generally estimated at one in 10 million (10-7).

The most recent nuclear power station designs feature a containment building strong enough to withstand an aircraft collision.

That does not mean, however, that power station containment buildings not specifically designed to withstand impact will yield under the force of such a collision.

3. and 4. Nuclear safety and security are still chiefly the preserve of the national authorities.

Nonetheless, after the terrorist attacks of 11 September, there is a need to review factors that make nuclear installations vulnerable. The Commission is liaising with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Vienna on the specific issue of nuclear installation safety. Discussions should indicate the value of action at Community and/or international level.

5. All power stations operating within the Union are subject to strict standards prescribed by the national safety authorities.