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| 2 Injured at Power Plant in France | |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| PARIS — A steam release from a chemical reaction on Wednesday at the Fessenheim nuclear power plant, France’s oldest, gave two workers slight burns on their hands but did not cause a fire or radiation problem, government and fire officials said. | PARIS — A steam release from a chemical reaction on Wednesday at the Fessenheim nuclear power plant, France’s oldest, gave two workers slight burns on their hands but did not cause a fire or radiation problem, government and fire officials said. |
| Like nearly all incidents at nuclear power plants here, the one on Wednesday prompted demands that France reduce its dependence on nuclear power. France gets about 75 percent of its electricity from nuclear energy, and President François Hollande during his campaign promised to work toward reducing the use of nuclear plants and to close the two Fessenheim reactors by 2017, when they will be 40. | Like nearly all incidents at nuclear power plants here, the one on Wednesday prompted demands that France reduce its dependence on nuclear power. France gets about 75 percent of its electricity from nuclear energy, and President François Hollande during his campaign promised to work toward reducing the use of nuclear plants and to close the two Fessenheim reactors by 2017, when they will be 40. |
| The power company Électricité de France, which operates the plant, has argued that the life of the reactors, drawing water from the Rhine River, can be extended safely. Some consider Fessenheim overly vulnerable to seismic activity and to flooding, but the plants provide much of the employment in the area, 30 miles north of Basel, Switzerland, and next to Germany. | The power company Électricité de France, which operates the plant, has argued that the life of the reactors, drawing water from the Rhine River, can be extended safely. Some consider Fessenheim overly vulnerable to seismic activity and to flooding, but the plants provide much of the employment in the area, 30 miles north of Basel, Switzerland, and next to Germany. |
| The power company said Wednesday that “steam escaped during a maintenance operation,” setting off a fire alarm, and that the incident had been quickly brought under control. The prefecture of Haut-Rhin said that there was a release of “oxygenated steam” when hydrogen peroxide reacted with water in a reservoir. Workers were preparing a cleaning fluid in an annex separate from the reactor buildings when the incident occurred. | The power company said Wednesday that “steam escaped during a maintenance operation,” setting off a fire alarm, and that the incident had been quickly brought under control. The prefecture of Haut-Rhin said that there was a release of “oxygenated steam” when hydrogen peroxide reacted with water in a reservoir. Workers were preparing a cleaning fluid in an annex separate from the reactor buildings when the incident occurred. |
| Nuclear safety authorities said there was no threat of radioactive leaks, and the Ministry of Ecology, Sustainable Development and Energy said in a statement that there was no safety risk. | Nuclear safety authorities said there was no threat of radioactive leaks, and the Ministry of Ecology, Sustainable Development and Energy said in a statement that there was no safety risk. |
| François de Rugy, co-president of the environmental group in the National Assembly, said that the accident at Fessenheim served “to remind everyone that there is a danger with nuclear power.” | François de Rugy, co-president of the environmental group in the National Assembly, said that the accident at Fessenheim served “to remind everyone that there is a danger with nuclear power.” |
| The Socialist government is allied with the environmentalist Green party, and there has been a debate inside the government over how quickly to move away from nuclear power, given the recession and the cost of alternative energy sources. | The Socialist government is allied with the environmentalist Green party, and there has been a debate inside the government over how quickly to move away from nuclear power, given the recession and the cost of alternative energy sources. |