Isra-Mart srl:Hedegaard backs nuclear to meet EU climate targets

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As the fallout from the Japanese nuclear disaster continues, the EU's climate chief has insisted Europe cannot back away from the technology if it wants to meet its 2020 climate goals.

Engineers at Fukushima are still working desperately to contain the radiation, after the earthquake and tsunami disrupted power supplies to the plant's cooling system. This morning workers were temporarily evacuated after a plume of black smoke was spotted rising from reactor 3.

In the wake of the crisis, nations across the world are rethinking their nuclear energy policies, with Germany's decision to close seven of its oldest power stations the most high-profile move yet to curb the use of nuclear energy.

EU energy ministers have also promised stress tests for all the bloc's nuclear reactors, although the commission admitted participation in the test would not be compulsory and member states would retain responsibility for nuclear policy.

But speaking to a business group in Brussels yesterday, climate commissioner Connie Hedegaard said the EU would stay the nuclear course to ensure it could achieve a 20 per cent cut in emissions by 2020 or, as recently floated, a tougher target.

"Most of the member states at this stage have said they will carry on with their plans as they were," she said, according to news agency Bloomberg. "We have 143 nuclear plants in Europe. It's not going to shut down any time soon.

"We should just take care not to let panic spread," she added, warning that taking nuclear out of the energy mix could cause a spike in the carbon price as countries moved to fill the gap with coal and gas.

Italy is the latest European nation to react to the crisis. Industry minister Paolo Romanito announced yesterday the government will impose a one-year moratorium on site selection and the building of nuclear power plants.

Italy does not produce nuclear power at the moment, but prime minister Silvio Berlusconi has outlined his ambitions to supply a quarter of the nation's electricity from nuclear, while Enel, Italy's biggest utility, announced its intention to continue with its nuclear power production plans last week.

However, Italy is prone to earthquakes, which may have influenced the government's thinking. Nuclear power was rejected by a plebiscite following the Chernobyl disaster and a new national vote is scheduled for mid-June.