French NGOs have staged a rally to call for an end to nuclear power plants in the European country in the aftermath of Japan's nuclear crisis that raised questions about nuclear safety.
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French NGOs say the crisis at Japan's quake-damaged Fukushima nuclear power plant shows that there are no guarantees of nuclear safety.
Protest organizers say the radiation leak at reactor number one of Japan's quake-damaged Fukushima nuclear power plant has brought to the fore grave concerns over France's preparedness for such a catastrophic incident and its overall pro-nuclear policy, Reuters reported on Sunday.
Green groups and NGOs argued that the crisis at the Japanese atomic power plant indicated that there are no guarantees of nuclear safety, adding that France's dependence on nuclear power may presage similar nuclear crisis in Japan.
On Saturday, Fukushima Daiichi 1 nuclear reactor started oozing radioactive radiation after a blast that blew the roof off the plant, which was hit-hard by the massive 8.9 magnitude earthquake that struck off the northeast coast of Japan's main island a day earlier.
Meanwhile, French officials met to discuss the situation and possible deterrent measures in the case of such nuclear crisis amid fierce opposition by green groups, who believe the government should halt their reliance on a technology that created nuclear disaster in Chernobyl in 1986.
"It's clear that when there's a significant natural disaster, all the so-called safety measures fail in a country with the highest level of technical know-how," said Secretary of French Green Party, Cecile Duflot.
"Nuclear risk is not a risk that can really be controlled," she added.
France, the world's second biggFraest nuclear energy producer after the United States, has 58 nuclear reactors spread over 19 sites across the country.
Almost four-fifths of Frances's electricity is provided through atomic energy.