Romanian Environment Minister Says Nuclear Plants Must Undergo Harsher Tests

"Obviously, Romania will undergo these tests. What happened in Japan proves we need to have more extensive tests, rules and monitoring for nuclear plants because these are no joking matters," said Borbely, adding the situation in Japan, which has been hailed as having the safest nuclear technologies, is a major warning.

Asked whether there is any risk Romania's sole nuclear power plant, in Cernavoda, won't pass EU-required resistance tests, Borbely said the plant is designed to withstand quakes of 8 degrees on the Richter scale and operates on different technologies than the plants in Japan.

The minister also said nuclear power is cheap and non-pollutant but because it poses risks, he would prefer Romania relied more on hydropower.

Asked about the risk of radiation exposure, Borbely said experts have so far established such a risk is very low.

"Japan is very far from Romania. From the information we have so far, risks of a radioactive cloud reaching Romania are very low," he said.

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