Nuclear Topics & Countries

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French NPP for the Czech Republic?

One of the key topics of French President Emmanuel Macron’s visit to Prague will be efforts to support French state-owned EDF, which is bidding to build new nuclear reactors in the Czech Republic. But there is the failure to build new nuclear power plants on time and at the agreed price, not only abroad but…

EIA on lifetime extension of Olkiluoto 1&2 has started

Olkiluoto 1&2 in Finland started operation in 1978 and 1980. They have already undergone one lifetime extension from the originally planned 40 years up to 60 years, which will be reached in 2038. The ongoing procedure comprises a lifetime extension for additional 10 or even 20 years up to 2048 or 2058, respectively. The reactors…

Unlawful decision of the government of the republic of Bulgaria for the construction of a new NPP

Za Zemiata wrote a letter to the Bulgarian Prime Minister concerning the planned newbuild of Kozloduy 7 pointing to violations of the law The Bulgarian NGOs Za Zemiata and Greenpeace call on the government to stop the procedures for the construction of units 7 and 8 at the Kozloduy NPP, not only due to violations…

Participation in the ENSREG Topical Peer Review II on Fire Protection

The Joint Project participates in this second Topical Peer Review II because fire protection is very important for nuclear safety. This Topical Peer Review (TPR) is now in the next step: Countries had to submit their national reports, and these have been open for consultation. The Joint Project commissioned expert Oda Becker to check the…

Are Bulgarian reactor parts sold to Ukraine?

In July 2023, media reported that Ukraine has started discussions to purchase Bulgaria’s two Russian-made nuclear reactors that were foreseen for the Belene site with EU money. The Joint Project sent a letter to the European Commission to verify: We did not receive an answer, therefore we updated and re-sent the letter on 5 Feb…

“Russian Grip on EU Nuclear Power” – updated study

An update of Patricia Lorenz’s study “Russian Grip on EU Nuclear Power” was commissioned by the Viennese Environmental Ombudsman and “Cities for a Nuclear Free Europe” (CNFE). The study analyses the European nuclear sector’s dependency on Russia. In particular, it also analyses possible EU strategies to reduce this dependency. The EU has not come any…

Dukovany 5: from EIA to construction license

For the first time ever, NPP permitting procedures were open to NGOs beyond the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), which is usually the only possibility for public participation. The transboundary EIA for Dukovany 5 took place in 2018 with hearings not only in the Czech Republic, but also in Vienna and Munich. However, the EIA was…

Fukushima: No to the release of radioactive water into the Sea!

After the reactor catastrophe in 2011, 1.3 million tons of radioactive contaminated water are stored at the Fukushima site. Japan now started to release the water into the Pacific Ocean. While a new IAEA report affirms the safety of the release, NGOs and neighboring countries China and the Pacific Island Forum protest against the measure.…

Tricastin-1 got life-time extension license without EIA

On 10.08.2023, the French regulator ASN’s decision on the lifetime extension of Tricastin-1, which had been taken already on 29.06.2023, was announced – and this without a transboundary EIA. This is in violation of the Espoo “Guidance on the applicability of the Convention to the lifetime extension of nuclear power plants”.

First NPP Poland: National EIA does not comply with the Aarhus Convention

On 9 August, 2023 the Joint Project NGOs and many other organizations – a total of 28 organizations from 11 countries – sent an open letter of protest to the EU Commissioner of the Environment, the EU Energy Commissioner and the Polish Espoo authority GDOŚ against the insufficient public consultation period provided by the Polish…