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Bulgaria to re-open nuclear reactor, if Brussels agrees: PM
Sofia (AFP) Jan 16, 2009 Bulgaria will start technical preparations to re-open one of its shut nuclear reactors at Kozloduy if the gas crisis continues, but only with Brussels' consent, Prime Minister Sergey Stanishev said Friday. "The government decided to start technical preparations to re-open one of its shut nuclear plant reactors if the gas crisis continues over an unforseeable period of time," Stanishev told journalists. Preparations would take about 45 days, he added. But he noted: "We cannot act unilaterally and put our partners in front of an accomplished fact." "A dialogue with the European Commission and the (EU) member states is necessary," he said. Observers note that it is highly unlikely the reactors will be restarted, as Bulgaria would have to convince Brussels of a dire electricity shortage in the region and all 27 member states would have to approve the move. Only two 1,000-megawatt reactors remain in operation at Bulgaria's sole nuclear power plant at Kozloduy, after the country shut four other 440-magawatt units at the plant in 2003 and 2006 to secure EU accession. According to political analysts, the complete halt in Russian gas supplies and upcoming general elections in mid-2009 have prompted politicians to discuss restarting the shut reactors in an attempt to raise falling approval rates. Stanishev's statement was also seen as a political curtsy to President Georgy Parvanov who defended the re-opening in his annual lecture on national security Friday. "The decision to shut reactors 3 and 4 was ungrounded and unjust," Parvanov said. Stanishev had so far insisted that a significant deepening of the crisis and as-yet-unseen electricity shortages would be necessary for Bulgaria to seek a re-opening. But Parvanov countered: "How much worse does it have to get? Schools and kindergartens are closing, industries are on the verge of survival... A re-opening will be vital for the economy." Bulgarians saw the shutdown as an EU-required sacrifice to let the country into the bloc. Right-wing and nationalist opposition parties were due to stage a rally Sunday in favour of the reopening. Share This Article With Planet Earth
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Japan eyes restarting controversial 'dream nuclear reactor'
Tsuruga, Japan (AFP) Jan 15, 2009Japan, an economic giant with almost no natural energy resources, is eyeing restarting its "dream nuclear reactor" this year after a raft of safety scares closed the plant for more than 13 years. |
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