News Itewm on Turkish CANDU reactor

["Aaron Oakley" <aoakley@receptor.pharm.uwa.edu.au>]

Hi Folks,

This Item found on The Guardian web site:
http://www.guardianunlimited.co.uk/AC/setguestcookie.cgi?section=Network&hos
t=www.guardianunlimited.co.uk&uri=/Archive/Article/0,4273,3950985,00.html&us
erid=4G9Dbb01

Best,

Dr Aaron Oakley

8<------------------------------------------------------------------

Turkish villagers mobilise against nuclear plant plan
Chris Morris in Buyukeceli

Saturday January 15, 2000


"Who's going to want to buy these?", asked Mehmet Bey as he reached out to
pluck lemons from a row of trees heavy with the fruit. "Once people know
they come from the nuclear village, they'll look elsewhere."

Buyukeceli nestles in a valley on a remote stretch of Turkey's Mediterranean
coast. Apart from the occasional lorry which rumbles through from Syria on
its way to Ankara and Istanbul, nothing much disturbs the peace. But just
beyond the wooded hill above the village is a compound surrounded by barbed
wire.

Akkuyu bay is where Turkey wants to build its first nuclear power plant.

Local people estimate that 80% of them are opposed to the plan. Some of the
opposition seems to be based on a misunderstanding of how a nuclear plant
operates. There is a fear that there will be automatic contamination of the
surrounding area, and that tourists will stay away.

The main concern though is the possibility that there could be a terrible
accident. If there is one subject on which everyone in Turkey can claim to
have some knowledge, it is shattered buildings and crumpled concrete. The
damage caused by the two massive earthquakes which killed nearly 20,000
people last year has left a deep scar.

People believe it could happen again. "The earthquakes affected everyone
here", said Ummet Buyuk, Buyukeceli's mayor. "There's a fault line close to
Akkuyu, and are all really nervous about it. That's why we don't want this
plant."

Turkey's nuclear lobby, which is backed by powerful business interests,claim
that their opponents are spreading scare stories. They point out that the
plan to build a nuclear plant in Akkuyu was proposed more than 30 years ago,
and say exhaustive studies of the site have been carried out. "It is
probably the most geologically stable region in Turkey," said Lutfi Sarici,
director of the nuclear programme.

Environmental activists disagree. They say one particular fault line is a
cause for concern, and that building a nuclear plant anywhere in a country
prone to earthquakes is deeply irresponsible. Many Turks are already worried
about the safety of former Soviet reactors in Bulgaria and Armenia. But Mr
Sarici insisted that the comparison was meaningless. "The plant we build
will be one of the most modern designs in the world," he said. "It will have
the highest safety standards."

But his soothing words have failed to quell the concern. Neighbouring
countries, especially Cyprus, are nervous and have appealed for a rethink.

Undaunted, three international consortiums are bidding for the contract.
They ex pected to hear who had won the tender at the end of last month, but
at the last moment the government delayed the announcement.

Anti-nuclear campaigners claim the delay is a sign that the government may
be wavering. They believe that the prime minister, Bulent Ecevit, has
misgivings, but both his coalition partners and President Suleyman Demirel
are strongly in favour of the nuclear strategy.

Environmental groups accept that Turkey will face a dramatic increase in the
demand for domestic and industrial power over the next few years, but argue
that nuclear power is not the answer at a time when other European countries
are beginning to decommission their plants.

Greenpeace Mediterranean says that Turkey should invest heavily in
alternative sources, such as solar and wind power, and should spend much
more time reducing energy losses in its grossly inefficient system.

"There is no need for a nuclear plant," Melda Keskin, a Greenpeace
spokeswoman, said. "Because of safety issues it's not competitive any more.
It's just a waste of money and it could be dangerous. Why take the risk?"


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