These tests are much stricter than safety evaluation performed during normal licensing process and periodic reviews, because they try to find out whether nuclear power plants can also withstand extreme unexpected events. The safety and security of nuclear power plants is the responsibility of plant operators and Member States.
The stress tests assess whether a nuclear power plant can withstand the effects of the following events:
1) Natural disasters: earthquakes, flooding, extreme cold, extreme heat, snow, ice, storms, tornados, heavy rain etc.
2) Man-made failures. These events may include airplane crashes, fires and explosions close to nuclear power plants.
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