Bomb scare evacuates French nuclear plant
PARIS, FRANCE - A nuclear power station at Chinon in central France was evacuated after a phone call warning of a bomb, power supplier EDF said.
EDF said the anonymous phone call was made at 0355 GMT April 30 and that, while searches continued, the core areas of the plant had been secured.
The nuclear plant was still functioning, EDF added.
The local authorities said the phone call warning had been made from a phone box in the town of Chinon in the Indre-et-Loire department.
"The police force was on the site at 0700 GMT and the bomb-disposal experts with dogs arrived on site at 0900 GMT," a local authority spokeswoman said.
The Chinon plant, which has four 900-megawatt nuclear reactors, supplies electricity to around 6 percent of the French population.
Workers at the Chinon plant have been carrying out protests in the last few months. Unions, demanding a five percent pay rise and a 1,500-euro bonus, have called for more protests.
Actions have included power capacity cuts and delaying a maintenance program scheduled to start this month.
"The bomb scare has nothing to do with the protest currently underway and we are awaiting for light to be shed on the matter," a CGT spokesman told Reuters.
Related News
New EPA power plant rules will put carbon capture to the test
WASHINGTON - New public and private funding and expected strong federal power plant emissions reduction standards have accelerated electricity sector investments in carbon capture, utilization and storage,’ or CCUS, projects but some worry it is good money thrown after bad.
CCUS separates carbon from a fossil fuel-burning power plant’s exhaust for geologic storage or use in industrial and other applications, according to the Department of Energy. Fossil fuel industry giants like Calpine and Chevron are looking to take advantage of new federal tax credits and grant funding for CCUS to manage potentially high costs in meeting power plant performance requirements, including…
