日本福岛核电站因地震和海啸发生爆炸，增加了核辐射物质泄露的危险。受此警示，欧盟一些国家宣布暂停新建核设施项目。欧盟还将于15日在布鲁塞尔召开核能安全紧急会议，以日本福岛核电站爆炸事故为教训，重新审查欧盟各国的核能安全标准以及执行情况，重点是检查各国核电站应对地震的预案，以确保各国核电站的安全。

奥地利政府呼吁欧盟，要像在债务危机中对银行进行压力测试那样，对欧盟国家的所有核电站进行压力测试，检查反应堆冷却系统及反应堆容器的抗震能力是否达标。一向支持核能开发的德国总理默克尔表示，德国不准备新建核电站，对是否延长德国核电站的寿命，将推迟3个月再做决定。

不过，也有专家和官员表示，虽然各国的核设施发展会因为日本核事故影响而减慢，但鉴于各国不断增长的能源需求，核能发展不可能就此停止。

The second hydrogen explosion in three days rocked Japan's stricken nuclear plant.

Switzerland freezes plans to build new nuclear plants, Germany raises questions about its nuclear future, and opposition to atomic reactor construction mounts from Turkey to South Africa.

Will explosions and other worries at a tsunami-stricken Japanese nuclear plant halt what has come to be known as the nuclear renaissance?

Fears about nuclear safety that took a generation to overcome after the accidents at Chernobyl and Three-Mile Island are resurfacing around the globe. They are casting new doubt on a controversial energy source that has seen resurgence in recent years, amid worries over volatile oil prices and global warming.

"Europe has to wake up from its Sleeping Beauty slumber" about nuclear safety, Austria's Environment Minister Nikolaus Berlakovich told reporters in Brussels. He suggested an EU-wide stress test for nuclear plants, much like European banks have been tested for their ability to cope with financial shocks.

Yet some experts and officials say those fears are overblown, given the exceptional nature of Japan's earthquake and ensuing tsunami. The Japanese blasts may slow the push for more nuclear plants, but appear unlikely to stop it, given the world's fast-growing energy needs.

The governments of Russia, China and Poland said they are sticking to plans to build more reactors. Even earthquake-prone Chile says it won't discard a nuclear option. Spain warned against hasty decisions.

Japan's nuclear plant explosions come as the U.S. government looks to expand its nuclear energy industry by offering companies tens of billions in financial backing. Administration officials said the U.S. would seek lessons from the Japanese crisis but said the events in Japan would not diminish the United States commitment to nuclear power.

"It remains a part of the president's overall energy plan," White House spokesman Jay Carney said. "When we talk about reaching a clean energy standard, it is a vital part of that."

In Atlanta, the CEO of Southern Co. said Monday he does not expect Japan's problems to delay construction of two more nuclear reactors in Georgia, at the first nuclear plant in the United States to break ground in a generation.

Elsewhere, governments began questioning their vision of a nuclear-energized future amid rising threats of a meltdown at one Japanese reactor.

Switzerland ordered a freeze on new plants or replacements "until safety standards have been carefully reviewed and if necessary adapted," Energy Minister Doris Leuthard said. The decision put on hold the construction of nuclear power stations at three sites approved by Swiss regulatory authorities.

In Germany, the government said it is suspending for three months a decision to extend the life of its nuclear power plants. That also means that two older nuclear power plants will be taken off the grid shortly — at least for now — pending a full safety investigation, Chancellor Angela Merkel told reporters.

The European Union called a meeting Tuesday of nuclear safety authorities to assess Europe's preparedness in case of a nuclear emergency.

Individual EU members including Britain, Bulgaria and Finland also urged a nuclear safety review.

Meanwhile, opposition voices rose up in Turkey and Sweden to renounce or scale back governments' nuclear expansion plans. And anti-nuclear groups staged rallies around France, the world's most nuclear-dependent country, as the government sought to reassure the public that the risks remain minimal.

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(Agencies)

（中国日报网英语点津 Helen 编辑）