Safety checks faked at German nuclear power stations

dw.com

Two German state environment ministries have admitted that workers failed to carry out safety checks at two nuclear power stations, but registered them as done anyway. One power station has been shut down.

German energy giants EnBW and RWE have admitted that employees did not carry out routine safety readings on equipment measuring radioactivity at their nuclear power stations, but pretended they had. Both workers were immediately barred from the premises and then dismissed.

Regional public broadcaster SWR, which broke the story, reported on Thursday that EnBW's power station in Philippsburg, Baden-Württemberg (pictured above), had been shut down by the state Environment Ministry until a mandatory inquiry was completed. RWE's nuclear power station in Biblis, Hesse, has been shut down since 2011, but radioactivity levels are still being monitored there.

In a statement released on Wednesday, EnBW said that it had informed the state Environment Ministry of the neglected readings - which occurred in December - on April 5, immediately after discovering them during another routine check. In the ensuing investigation, the energy company found that "the same employee had apparently faked seven further routine checks on similar installations. Legal options against the worker are being examined."