 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Czech Nuclear Watchdog Head Says Temelin Leaks Unacceptable
Prague (AFP) Mar 08, 2007 The head of the Czech Republic's nuclear power watchdog said Thursday that the frequency of leaks at the controversial Soviet-designed Temelin power plant is "unacceptable. It is not so much the seriousness of the leaks, but their frequency which is unacceptable," head of the State Authority for Nuclear Safety, Dana Drabova, said in an interview on Frekvence 1's pressclub programme. Her comments follow Wednesday's announcement of a leak of around 1,000 litres of mildly radioactive water a day earlier, which followed a similar incident a week earlier. The latest events have fuelled ongoing protests in neighbouring Austria, where many maintain that Temelin is unsafe. They have also prompted more uncommon misgivings about the plant's operation at home. Drabova advised power plant managers to look again at their operational procedures. "I do not think this is an individual mistake but rather a procedural one and the people at Temelin should seriously think about their complex procedures," she said. A meeting between industry minister, Martin Riman, Drabova and bosses of state controlled power company, CEZ, which owns Temelin, has been fixed for next week to review the plant's safety, ministry spokesman Tomas Bartovsky announced on Thursday. Riman, an advocate of more nuclear power in spite of the centre-right government's ban on building new construction, said after a government meeting on Wednesday that there were only two options to explain the continuing problems plagueing Temelin. "Either it is sloppiness or bad intent. Both are wrong, and it is necessary to investigate it and adopt measures so that it does not occur again," Riman told reporters. The delayed admission of the first leak last week sparked angry protests in Vienna. Temelin is sited around 40 kilometres (25 miles) from the Czech-Austrian border. The admission occurred hours after Austrian chancellor Alfred Grusenbauer agreed in Prague with his Czech counterpart, Mirk Topolanek, to set up an inter-parliamentary commission to sort out their long running row over the nuclear plant.
Source: Agence France-Presse Community Email This Article Comment On This Article Related Links Civil Nuclear Energy Science, Technology and News Civil Nuclear Energy Science, Technology and News Powering The World in the 21st Century at Energy-Daily.com
Chirac's Last EU Summit Goes Nuclear
Brussels (AFP) Mar 08, 2007French President Jacques Chirac strode energetically into his last formal European summit on Thursday championing the role of nuclear power in the fight against climate change. Chirac arrived in Brussels for the meeting three days ahead of a widely expected announcement that he won't put his hat into the ring for a third term in office. |
|
|
| The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2006 - SpaceDaily.AFP and UPI Wire Stories are copyright Agence France-Presse and United Press International. ESA PortalReports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additionalcopyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by SpaceDaily on any Web page published or hosted by SpaceDaily. Privacy Statement |
