Romania sees Belene nuclear power plant as "dangerous"

22:35 Wed 20 Feb 2008 - Alex Bivol

Bulgaria's planned nuclear power plant at Belene on the Danube River posed a risk to Romania's energy security, a top aide to Romanian president Traian Basescu said, as quoted by Romanian daily Business Standard on February 20 2008.

The nuclear power plant in Belene, which would be built next to the border with Romania, used the same technology as the one in Chernobyl and as such posed an "energy security risk" for Romania, Basescu's defense aide Constantin Degeratu was quoted as saying.

On April 26 1986, one of the reactors at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant near Kiev, now in Ukraine, exploded and sent a plume of highly radioactive fallout into the atmosphere. It is the worst nuclear power plant disaster in history.

Degeratu made his comment when discussing the functions NATO could have in ensuring the energy security of its member states during a conference on the issue, held in Bucharest. The conference was part of a series of events, culminating in the NATO summit in the Romanian capital in April.

Comments

Comments by Jan Haverkamp - Greenpeace - 10:01 21 Feb 2008
	Even though the top aid is right that Belene is like any nuclear power project inherently dangerous - and that an accident with the expanse of the Chernobyl accident also cannot be excluded in the AES-92 design... the proposed NPP in Belene is of a complete different design than the one in Chernobyl. It is important that key-people get the facts right... Belene is an energy security risk, because it diverts needed capital from highly needed and much more effective investments into energy efficiency programmes in Bulgaria, as well as in renewable energy sources, that can bring true energy security. Belene is an energy security risk, because the plant will be built using Russian technology, use only Russian fabricated fuel, and be based on a now already established financial debt to Russia (= dependency). Belene is an energy security risk because it has too much capacity in one place in a seismic active zone: In case of a heavier earthquake, both blocks will scram and 2000 MW will go off-line... causing a huge imbalance in the grid that might lead to blackouts throughout the Balkans, including Romania. Belene further, like all nuclear power stations (including Cernavoda in Romania) is a security risk as possible terrorist target.