The Fukushima disaster has shaken public confidence worldwide in the safety of nuclear power stations. Most governments have proven reluctant to pull the plug on their nuclear power stations entirely, promising instead to rethink strategies and undertake safety checks.

On March 15th, the European Union decided to apply stress tests to its nuclear reactors to see how they would perform during earthquakes or other disasters. The tests are voluntary.

Switzerland, an associated EU member, suspended plans to build three new reactors and is carrying out safety tests on its existing five reactors. The country will not take part in the EU stress tests, arguing that they would take too long; test criteria have not yet been decided. Swiss engineers plan to have results of their own safety tests by the end of this month.

In other EU countries, Germany, which has 17 reactors, has taken the most extreme action by temporarily switching off its seven oldest, pending safety tests. A three-month moratorium has been slapped on plans to extend life-spans of nuclear reactors.

The two EU countries with the largest number of reactors — Britain, which has 19 and four in planning, and France, which has 58 reactors and two in planning – have planned safety reviews but will not delay their expansion plans.

Italy, Poland and the Czech Republic will similarly stick to their plans to begin nuclear power programmes, say their governments.

Russia will safety test its 32 existing nuclear power plants but will continue its plans to build more – 11 are already in construction and 14 more are planned.

China adopted a surprisingly sensitive stance in the face of a population deeply fearful of contamination from Fukushima. On March 17 it announced plans to temporarily suspend work on 26 or so nuclear reactors currently under construction, pending revision of safety standards, to safety check its 13 operating reactors, and to reconsider longer-term expansion plans for its nuclear programme involving at least 60 more reactors.

In other earthquake-prone countries, expansion of nuclear programmes is continuing undeterred. India, which has 20 reactors, will continue its ambitious nuclear programme to add a further 23. Its government says that all required safety measures will be taken. Turkey will continue plans to build its first four reactors at a site near Mersin on its eastern Mediterranean coast. Chile says it is not planning to build nuclear plants, but has nonetheless signed recent agreements with France and the US to train nuclear engineers. It signed the US agreement on 18 March.

On 17 March, US president Barack Obama ordered a comprehensive safety review of nuclear facilities in the United States, while voicing support for nuclear energy.

For full coverage of the Fukushima disaster, go to Nature’s news special.