Re: Temelin

["Franz Schoenhofer" <franz.schoenhofer@CHELLO.AT>]

Private:

Franz Schoenhofer

Habicherg. 31/7

A-1160 Vienna, AUSTRIA

Phone: -43 699 11681319

e-mail: franz.schoenhofer@chello.at









-----Ursprüngliche Nachricht-----

Von: Thomas J Savin <tjsav@LYCOS.COM>

An: radsafe@list.vanderbilt.edu <radsafe@list.vanderbilt.edu>

Datum: Donnerstag, 02. August 2001 16:42

Betreff: Temelin





>I thought that this may be of interest to some - Enjoy

>

>                                Tom

>

>

>Temelin Reactor Safety Report Renews Austrian Fears

>

>BRUSSELS, Belgium, August 1, 2001 (ENS) - The Czech Republic has "fully and

satisfactorily implemented" a safety agreement reached last December with

neighboring Austria regarding the country's Temelin nuclear plant, according

to a leaked draft report from the European Commission.



------------------------------------------------

It is summer time - leaked reports are put forward by journalists and the

prefabricated comments of pressure groups are automatically released. They

were in this case already released before anything leaked about the content

and when it was only known, that the EU had received a report. And I am sure

that certain groups have already the final comments to the reports (leaking

or not) due in 2004 ready for distribution.



---------------------------------------------------------



>

>The revelation sparked a new round of Austrian discontent over the

controversial power station.

>



Who is representing Austria in this case - the protesters or the

government??? The well known groups have distributed their prefabricated

discontents, but the government has not sparked a new round....,.





>

>Czech authorities say the Soviet designed nuclear power plant is safe.

>After sustained protests from its neighbors, the Czech and Austrian

governments signed the so-called Melk agreement last December, promising to

undertake a full environmental impact assessment and allow foreign

inspections of the nuclear power plant.

>Pressure for the assessment was exerted by the European Commission after

vigorous allegations by Austria and Germany that the Temelin nuclear plant

did not match western safety standards.



The exact wording by Mr. Trittin is, that "this nuclear power plant would

not be granted a license in Germany". I agree with him - since the phasing

out of nuclear power is in force in Germany there is not the slightest

chance of any nuclear power plant design to be licensed in Germany!!!!!





----------------------------------------



Germany did much to my surprise not put forward vigorous allegations. Mr

Trittin is more than occupied to tell his Green Party, that the Castor

transports are necessary and that Germany has to take back the highly

radioactive waste and to store it! His ministry only published an opinion,

which obviously was not shared by the government, that Temelin should not go

into operation. The minister of external affairs, Joschka Fischer himself a

Green, denied any connection with the joining of the Czech Republic with the

European Union.





>The first of the power station's two 981 megawatt reactors began running at

test levels last October. The startup triggered a week-long blockade of

their Austrian border with the Czech Republic by anti-nuclear demonstrators

in Austria.

>





This is the information, which the press receives by the interested groups.

The fact is, that some border stations could not be blocked, simply because

nobody came there for this purpose. Another fact is, that school classes

were carried there by buses, that the blocking was more or less a funny

event for the school children - escaping mathematics and other lessons -

being served hot dogs and probably appear on TV. I do not deny that serious

protesters were there, but all TV news showed only laughing people.

Therefore I conclude, that they might not have been all to scared.





>The European Union took on a mediation role after politically explosive

demands by Austria's right-wing Freedom Party for the Czech Republic's

accession to the EU to be blocked over Temelin. The party has launched a

plebiscite to back its demands.





This is only partially true. The right-wing party has to my knowledge (and I

think I should know) not yet launched a plebiscite, but is treathening to do

so in the north-eastern part of Austria. This is a merely politically

motivated move.





>

>Austrian groups reacted with alarm to the Commission's apparent endorsement

of Czech actions since the Melk deal.

>

>The environmental group Global 2000 alleged "another attempt to brainwash

peoples' minds on Temelin."



Global 2000 is not representative for the government.









>Meanwhile, a leading member of Austria's official Temelin team



I did not know, that there existed an official Austrian Temelin team!







claimed a lack of impartiality on the part of key European Commission

figures behind the leaked report.

>

>Neither the Czech nor the Austrian authorities have yet reacted officially

to the leaked report.

>



This reaction would be what to comment on - and not all this hear-say on

leaked documents.



>

>Austrian Freedom Party members lobby for a referendum vote against a

European Union entry of the Czech Republic, if Temelin is not shut down.

(Photo courtesy Austrian Freedom Party)



It is their right to do so. They represented in the last election about 30%

of the votes, but have lost according to all public opinion polls almost 10%

since then. Their coalition partner, the Conservative Party has already

strictly announced, that they would not support such a referendum and so

have both opposition parties (Social Democrats and Greens (!!!)). Imagine

the chances of such a referendum!









>According to an Austrian environment ministry official last December, the

Czech authorities voluntarily extended an ongoing Environmental Impact

Assessment to broaden its scope and enable participation by outside experts.

>He told reporters that the revised procedures would be in line with the

European Union environmental impact directive and would also comply with

rules in the United Nations Espoo treaty on Environmental Impact Assessments

in a transboundary context. This involves participation by citizens

potentially affected, including people in neighboring countries, as well as

multilateral consultation at government level.

>

>But protesters of the Austrian Freedom Party say "countless breakdowns" at

the Temelin nuclear plant, as well as risk assessments, have given rise to

"horror scenarios filling Austrians with concern for their own future and

the future of their children."



------------------------------------------------------------------



This is true, there were a lot of malfunctions - no "breakdowns", but all of

them were in the non-nuclear part. The turbine posed the problems. But this

happened as well in a hydroelectric power plant in Austria several years

ago - but since it was not nuclear, no attention was paid to it.









>

>The Melk process did not reduce this concern, the Freedom Party protesters

say. On July 21, Austria decided to hold a referendum on blocking the entry

of the Czech Republic into the European Union if their environmental

concerns over Temelin are not resolved.





No, no, no, no, no. This is not true. It is nothing but mere nonsense. No

referendum was decided, just the contrary as mentioned above, all parties

except this "freedom" party - a wrong interpretation of "Freiheitliche

Partei", clearly refuse such an action.



You, who has read everything down to that: Can anybody trust, what

journalists write?  You know, that one cannot. But these wrong news are

distributed even on RADSAFE. I did not "enjoy" these news. I do not like to

have my country described as an agglomeration of idiots. This is more or

less in line with the attitude of some persons on the list to declare

opinions and morals which are commonly accepted in Europe (67 years,

evolution....) as totally wrong. And it seems that it is intended to cover

the terrible problems which the USA faces (Paducah, Yucca Mountains, Hanford

etc.) by telling stories about other countries and how ridiculous they are.



Direct flames to my private address.



Franz





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