Nuclear safety in focus

TALLINN - Estonian Foreign Minister Urmas Paet said at the UN’s high-level meeting on nuclear safety in New York on Sept. 23 that the events at the Fukushima nuclear power plant in Japan were a wake-up call for the entire world’s nuclear power industry, reports LETA. “What happened at the Fukushima nuclear power plant showed that even in a country with very highly advanced nuclear technologies and high safety standards, accidents can happen, and that this risk cannot be underestimated,” Paet said in his address.

He noted that the share of nuclear energy in the world’s energy output will presumably grow in the future. “Many countries will not abandon nuclear energy generation, as it helps them decrease greenhouse gas emissions. Estonia also considers it important that energy resources be as multifaceted as possible.”

The Estonian foreign minister stressed that to increase the safety of nuclear power, cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency is very important, as is, based on the lessons from Fukushima, improving readiness to stave off nuclear disaster. “It is important now to ensure transparency and restore confidence in nuclear energy,” added Paet.
The high-level nuclear safety themed meeting convened by Secretary General Ban Ki-moon was aimed at having an international discussion for the peaceful and safe use of nuclear energy.