Brussels, 02/07/2015 (Agence Europe) - On Wednesday 1 July, twenty-six MEPs from five political groups added their voices to calls by the NGOs Nuclear Transparency Watch and Bankwatch to freeze the EBRD and Euratom loan procedure to extend the life-cycle of Ukrainian nuclear reactors until a cross-border environmental impact assessment and public consultation have been launched, in line with the international treaties to which Ukraine has signed up.
In a letter sent to senior figures of the Commission, the EBRD and Euratom, these MEPs highlight the “increased risk of a severe nuclear accident” which would be brought about by prolonging the operations of Ukrainian reactors through a €600 million programme, funded by the EBRD and Euratom to improve safety in and modernise the 15 Ukrainian nuclear reactors.
Aside from the risks which would be brought about by the obsolescence of certain components of the reactors, which cannot be changed, such as the reactor tanks and the containment building, the MEPs stressed the threats to security of the Ukrainian power stations in relation to the armed conflict still underway in eastern Ukraine.
The MEPs particularly criticised the fact that a 20-year extension of the life cycle has already been granted for reactors 1 and 2 of the Rivne power station, even though no cross-border environmental impact assessment or public consultation has been carried out in Ukraine and its neighbours in line with the Espoo and Aarhus conventions, both of which have been signed and ratified by Ukraine and all the member states of the EU.
“Although such conduct has been assessed by the Espoo Convention implementation committee as a violation of this international treaty, Ukraine does not seem to be approaching the upcoming lifetime extensions differently (…). Ukraine's nuclear authority has a record of ignoring safety risks and cannot be trusted. In 2013, it extended the life of a reactor in the South Ukraine Power Plant by 20 years, despite independent studies showing that safety limits have been breached by up to 10 times the acceptable levels”, warned Dario Tamburrano (EFD, Italy).
“Nuclear energy requires the highest levels of safety, and civil society plays an essential role in ensuring this. International rules for transparency should be respected”, said German MEP Jo Leinen (S&D).
The letter has been signed by 10 MEPs from the Greens/EFA group, led by Michèle Rivasi of France, chair of the NGO Nuclear Transparency Watch, eight members of the S&D group, six members of the EFDD group, plus Sirpa Pietikaïnen of Finland (EPP) and Germany's Helmut Scholz (GUE/NGL). (Emmanuel Hagry)