WSJ: The operation of the Large Hadron Collider may be suspended due to the energy crisis

The European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) is considering options to suspend the operation of the Large Hadron Collider amid the energy crisis in Europe, reports The Wall Street Journal with reference to the head of the CERN commission on energy management, Serge Claudet.

According to the specialist, CERN is considering stopping some particle accelerators, as well as the collider itself. “Our concern is the stability of the power grid because we are doing everything we can to prevent blackouts in our region,” Claude said.

The specialist notes that CERN is committed to maintaining the Large Hadron Collider in working order, for which it is necessary to avoid sudden failures: a sudden power outage can disable a $ 4.4 billion system.

Claudet added that the organization will pay attention to the closure of other accelerators, which will reduce the center’s electricity consumption by 25%.

In March, CERN stated on the suspension of observer status for Russia due to the situation in Ukraine. 23 member states of the organization “strongly condemned” the military operation carried out by Russia.

In addition, the organization announced plans to “promote initiatives to support Ukrainian employees and Ukrainian scientific activities in the field of high energy physics.” It is specified that Ukraine is an associate member of CERN, and scientists from this country are actively involved in many experiments.

After the start of the special operation in Ukraine, Western countries imposed large-scale sanctions against Russia, which, among other things, affected the supply of energy resources. So, in early June, the EU introduced a partial embargo on Russian oil, and on August 10, an embargo on the purchase of coal from Russia began to operate. European countries are also looking for ways to abandon Russian gas.

As part of the fight against the energy crisis and the prevention of possible difficulties with gas supply this winter, the EU countries decided to save energy and reduce their consumption by 7-15%. Under the plan, Germany, for example, called on households and companies to reduce gas consumption by 20%.