Angela Merkel has suspended the decision to extend the life of Germany's nuclear power stations for three months in a move that fuelled fears that events in Japan could set back the development of the nuclear industry.
The German Chancellor, who indicated that some plants could be closed faster than expected, said that "everything will be put under review."
The fresh explosions at Japan's Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant promoted fears for the safety of the sector that were echoed by governments around the world.
The Swiss government suspended plans to build and replace nuclear plants. Doris Leuthard, the Swiss energy minister, announced a "blanket" ban on authorization for nuclear replacements and new builds "until safety standards have been carefully reviewed and if necessary adapted."
Austria's environment minister, Nikolaus Berlakovich, called for an European Union-wide stress test "to see if our nuclear power stations are earthquake proof."
Analysts warned that the development of the American nuclear sector could be delayed by political backlash since General Electric, the U.S. engineering giant, supplied reactors to Fukushima.
In Britain, the Department for Energy and Climate Change insisted that its initial response – asking for a report – was sufficient for now.
The European Union has called a meeting of nuclear safety authorities and operators to assess Europe's emergency procedures.
The full force of the disaster was felt first by Australian Securities Exchange, where around $1.5bn was wiped off the value of listed resource companies.
Energy Resources of Australia, which is controlled by London-listed Rio Tinto, plunged over 12pc to close at $8.25; Paladin Energy plunged 17pc; and Extract Resources fell nearly 8pc. Berekeley Resources, which is listed on London's Alternative Investment Market (AIM) dropped almost 15pc. The operators of Germany's 17 nuclear power stations were hit – E.On fell over almost 7pc while RWE was down over 5p.
In Canada, another centre for global resource companies, stocks were hit as the markets opened – Uranium One, fell 25pc; Cameco was down 15pc; Denison plunged 24pc, The Telegraph reports.
The Armenian Nuclear Power Plant was commissioned in 1976. Currently, only its second unit with a capacity of 407.5 MWatt operates. According to specialists, the NPP can be exploited until 2016.
