Senators in Chile on Thursday asked Chilean President Sebastian Pinera to put a stop to the development of all nuclear energy activities in the South American country.
They also asked the president that all official plans for Chile to meet 20 percent of its energy demand by nuclear power by 2020 to be suspended.
Senators voted 14 in favor and 2 against for the decision to ask the president to suspend the initiative, which is part of previously approved government plans in Chile to include an
increasing share of the demand by non-conventional renewable energies.
The vote and appeal to stop the use and development of nuclear power came in the wake of the devastating earthquake and tsunami in Japan last week, which left thousands dead or missing, and has created one of the worst nuclear threats the
world has ever seen. One week after the quake and tsunami, which caused massive damage to a number of Japan's nuclear power plants, Japanese scientists were struggling to contain alarming radiation levels
provoked by the damage.
Chilean lawmakers said as Chile suffer similar risks of earthquakes and tsunamis like those witnessed in Japan, it is not advisable to continue with such energy plans based on nuclear power.