Slovak News Back to the news
Greenpeace Suing Environment Ministry Over Mochovce Plant Practices
Tuesday 16 February 2010 Zoom in | Print page
Bratislava, February 16 (TASR) - International environmental organisation Greenpeace said on Tuesday that it is taking Slovakia's Environment Ministry to court over conflicts of interest and bias linked to the completion of the Mochovce nuclear power plant (Nitra region).
Greenpeace stated that a company called DECOM, which was chosen by the ministry to give its opinion on the assessment report of the environmental impacts of the planned 3rd and 4th nuclear reactors at the Mochovce plant, has conflicts of interest as it is wholly-owned by the building contractor employed by Mochovce's operator Slovenske Elektrarne (SE).
"The Environment Ministry made a grave mistake in the process of selecting a professionally competent entity for environmental impact assessment and in failing to guarantee transparency and objectivity. In so doing it put in jeopardy the safety of the project and thereby the environment and people in Slovakia and beyond," reads a statement from Greenpeace.
In addition, DECOM is headed by a person who sits on the board of trustees of the National Nuclear Fund, which disposes of spent nuclear fuel and radioactive waste. The Fund is cash-strapped and could have problems disposing of Mochovce's radioactive waste, claimed Greenpeace.
We fear that there are attempts to simplify the procedures of assessing environmental impacts in favour of SE acting as an investor, said Greenpeace, adding that such conduct is illegal and wholly irrational. Moreover, the opinion-provider decides whether the investor has answered public questions in a satisfactory manner and therefore should be impartial, a quality that DECOM definitely doesn't possess.
The environmentalists also pointed out that DECOM failed to deliver its opinion and final stance on the assessment of environmental impacts to the Environment ministry by the deadline of February 15.
All rights reserved. Any publishing or further dissemination of press releases and photographs from TASR's resources without TASR's prior written approval constitutes a violation of the Copyrights Act.
