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Y2K may threaten French nuclear safety
PARIS, May 6 (UPI) - After release of a report from the French Institute of Nuclear Safety saying the Y2K millennium computer bug may threaten French nuclear power station safety, French Minister of Environment Dominique Voynet tells French RTL radio the government must immediately work to remedy that threat.
The institute has reported to the French nuclear safety authority that there is also jeopardy to the entire French electricity grid. Voynet said, "France, which is so dependent on nuclear power, must ensure it is safe at the turn of the millennium."
The report says "Malfunctions of certain computer and automated systems at the power stations could weaken safety levels," adding that the threat is not restricted to individual plants but to the entire French electricity grid.
According to the institute, up to 80 percent of the electrical grid and at least 45 percent of plants are "susceptible to problems" from the change to the year 2000.
The report - noting 80 percent of French electricity is generated by nuclear power - recommended quick work on 40 percent of plant systems immediately.
The national nuclear safety agency says it will switch off power stations if security is threatened.
The institute report further warned that if France's electrical grid suffered, there is even the risk of a cascade effect on the grids of other European nations.
Saying such "occurances are plausible," the report said this did not mean there would necessarily "be a "risk of a nuclear accident."
Just a few months ago, Lawrence K. Gershwin of the National Intelligence Council in Washington, warned Europe was lagging behind the United States in fixup of problems from the Y2K bug.
Gershwin told a congressional hearing that most of the computer focus of Western Europe had been directed toward the euro monetary conversion, postponing work on Y2K remedies.
He said then there appeared to be little cross-border cooperation and the Netherlands "has threatened to cut off its power grid from the rest of Europe in order to protect domestic power distribution from external problems." |
