(January 22, 1993) A new reactor decree was passed on Christmas eve by the Russian government and signed on 28 Dec. by the new premier Chernobyrdin, ending a moratorium inspired by the 1986 Chernobyl disaster.
(385.3763) WISE Amsterdam - The ambitious new building plan, which would add at least 30 new nuclear power stations and double the nation's nuclear energy capacity by 2000, is likely to heighten alarm in a Europe already concerned about safety standards in the former Soviet Union's nuclear industry.
The plan was approved despite objections from President Yeltsin's ecology advisor, Alexei Yablokov, who called it "unacceptable from the legal, ecological, economic and political points of view."
At least one of the new plants would be of a design similar to the Chernobyl reactor. Yevgeni Reshetnikov, deputy minister for atomic energy, says that the design has been improved to prevent a similar accident, but western experts working in Russia maintain that the inherent dangers of a Chernobyl-type plant could not be eliminated. Dima Litvinov of Greenpeace's Moscow office agrees. "The upgrades don't address the main problem," Litvinov said. "Structurally, they're just as dangerous as before." Environmental groups both inside and outside Russia argue that political instability, antiquated systems and economic hardship make another nuclear catastrophe probable.
Russia's ability to actually implement the building program may be limited by the disastrous state of its finances. Meanwhile, western officials are emphasizing the need to spend billions of dollars to close at least some of Russia's nuclear plants and bring others to minimally acceptable safety levels. However, little action has been taken on this so far. [An English translation of the new reactor decree, plus a breakdown per reactor of what the decree calls for, as well as a statement by Yablokov which sets forth the main economic, ecological and legal problems of the decree is available from the address below or from Greenpeace's International office in the Netherlands.]
Sources: International Herald Tribune (NL), 14 Jan. 1993; Dima Litvinov, Greenpeace memo, 7 Jan. 1993.
Contact: Dima Litvinov, Greenpeace Russia, PO Box 60, 121002, Moscow, CIS; tel: 70-44-293-3261.