"The Cost of Caring for Europe's Elderly Nuclear Plants"

"Europe's ageing nuclear fleet will undergo more prolonged outages over the next few years, reducing the reliability of power supply and costing plant operators many millions of dollars.

Nuclear power provides about a third of the European Union's electricity generation, but the 28-nation bloc's 131 reactors are well past their prime, with an average age of 30 years.

And the energy companies, already feeling the pinch from falling energy prices and weak demand, want to extend the life of their plants into the 2020s, to put off the drain of funding new builds."

Nina Chestney and Susanna Twidale report for Reuters August 18, 2014.

SEE ALSO:

"Two Belgian Nuclear Reactors May Be Closed Permanently: State Media" (Reuters)

"Sabotage in Europe?" (PowerLine)