Amid Japanese disaster, support for building nuclear plants falls

Popular support for the use of nuclear energy has fallen considerably both in Turkey and around the world amid the Fukushima disaster in Japan, according to a new global survey. Worldwide Independent Network conducted the survey between March 21 and April 10 with the participation of 34,000 people from 47 countries. Support for nuclear energy in Turkey was already negative before the calamity in Japan, as the previous survey found that the percentage of people opposed to nuclear energy stood at 51 percent, versus 46 percent favoring the use of nuclear power plants. According to the survey, only 32 percent said "Yes" when asked directly whether they want a nuclear power plant in Turkey. The Turkish government is planning to establish nuclear energy plants in Akkuyu, in the south, and in Sinop, in the north, in the Black Sea region.