Dutch gov't wary of Belgian nuclear plant's poor security

Politicians from the Dutch provinces Brabant and Zeeland are concerned about the sabotage on Belgian nuclear reactor Doel 4, as the nuclear power plant is located near the Dutch border.

The reactor Doel 4 switched off automatically on August 5th, after lubricant oil was leaked out of one of the steam turbines.

The PvdA in North Brabant is distressed, says party chairman Henk Leenders, who questioned the security situation in a letter to the provincial government. His party wants to know whether additional safeguards will be needed.

GroenLinks in Zeeland has similar concerns, alarmed by an article in DMorgen.be wherein activist Anja Hermans tells about how she broke into the grounds of the nuclear power plant twelve times in 2007 and 2008.

According to Electrabel there is no danger. The owner of the nuclear power plant has stated that this derogation had no impact on the welfare and health of employees, neighbors and environment. This Dutch nuclear power plant expert, Jan Leen Kloosterman, of the Reactor Institute of the University of Delft, confirms. He went on to say that the major concern is the fact that it is suspected that this was a deliberate action - you would want to know who did it and examine his motives before continuing reactor operation.

The Netherlands was informed of the incident almost immediately and is monitoring the developments around Doel 4, says a spokesperson of Minister Kamp of Economic Affairs.