German Cabinet adopts bill phasing out nuclear power by 2022

PanARMENIAN.Net - The German cabinet signed off on June 6 on a bill phasing out nuclear power in Europe's biggest economy by 2022, prompted by the disaster in March at Japan's Fukushima plant.

"I am convinced that the government's decision today represents a milestone in the economic and social development of our country," Environment Minister Norbert Roettgen told reporters in Berlin.

The pace of the switch-off is faster than that announced last week by Chancellor Angela Merkel, with the nine reactors currently on line due to be turned off between 2015 and 2022, according to the text of the bill.

Previously Merkel had said that six reactors would shut down in 2021 and the three most modern in 2022. The seven oldest reactors were already shut down following the Fukushima crisis. A further reactor has been shut for years because of technical problems, AFP reported.

In contrast to Germany, Armenia is not going to reject nuclear energy and will construct a new energy unit. Moreover, an international team of nuclear installation safety experts, led by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), has reviewed the Armenian Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) near Metsamor for its safety practices and has noted a series of good practices as well as recommendations to reinforce them.

In addition, a stress test will be conducted at the Armenian NPP in July, while the obtained results will be submitted for EU independent experts’ consideration by the end of 2011.