Czech nuclear power plant reconnected to power grid

["Sandy Perle" <sandyfl@EARTHLINK.NET>]

NOTE: I will be out of the country from August 23 - September 1. 

Depending on internet connections available, there may not be any 

news distributions during this time



Index:



Czech nuclear power plant reconnected to power grid 

Civic group sues government to stop construction of nukes in Ukraine 

================================



Czech nuclear power plant reconnected to power grid 



PRAGUE, Czech Republic (AP) - The troubled nuclear power plant in 

Temelin near the Austrian border was reconnected to the country's 

power grid and is working at full capacity, an official said Sunday. 



Spokesman Vaclav Brom said that the plant's first unit was 

reconnected to the power grid on Saturday night after a one-day 

outage caused by a minor leak of steam in its non-nuclear part. 



The plant, located just 60 kilometers (35 miles) north of the 

Austrian border, has been a source of friction between the two 

countries. 

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



Civic group sues government to stop construction at nuclear plants in 

Ukraine 



KIEV, Ukraine Aug 19 (AP) - A civic group has filed suit against the 

Ukrainian government to stop construction of two reactors at the 

Rivne and Khmelnytskyi nuclear power plants, calling the projects 

illegal. 



Public Control, a non-governmental, environmental organization sued 

the government in a Kiev district court demanding a halt to the 

reactors' construction, according to news reports Monday. The group 

claims that the State Nuclear Regulatory Committee broke the law by 

not conducting adequate public hearings before providing a license to 

the state nuclear company Energoatom to construct the new reactors. 



A judge agreed on Friday to hear Public Control's case after the same 

court denied a lawsuit by six representatives of an environmental 

group against Energoatom, claiming completion of the reactors posed 

an ecological threat to the country. 



Ukrainian law requires the court to order construction to stop 

pending review of the group's petition and a decision. Court 

officials could not confirm whether a stop order would be issued. 



Energoatom denied Monday that it had received any court order to stop 

construction resulting from the lawsuit. 



Soviet-designed reactors are currently operating at Rivne and 

Khmelnytskyi and the disputed new reactors are about 85% complete. 

Ukraine negotiated to build the new reactors to compensate for the 

electricity lost when the Chernobyl nuclear power plant was closed in 

2000. 



Currently, Ukraine operates four nuclear power plants with 13 

reactors, nine of which are now working. The reactors are frequently 

shut down for malfunctions or scheduled repairs. 



Reactor No. 3 at the Yuzhna atomic power plant reduced its capacity 

by 50 percent Monday to repair a circulation pump that 

stopped after a short-circuit. Also, the No. 3 reactor at the Rivne 

atomic power plant was shut down 24 hours late Saturday to repair 

a pipe defect. 



Ukraine was the site of world's worst nuclear catastrophe in 1986 

when a nuclear reactor at Chernobyl exploded and caught fire, 

sending a radioactive cloud over much of Europe. 



While critics in Austria claim the plant is unsafe and demand that it 

be shut down, Czech authorities insist the plant poses no safety 

risks. 



Tests in the first unit of the 2,000-megawatt plant — based on 

Russian design and upgraded with U.S. technology — started in 

November 2000. But testing has been plagued by frequent non-nuclear 

malfunctions. 



In June, the first unit entered the last stage of tests and should be 

ready for commercial use in 18 months. 



Brom said that tests are also proceeding in the second unit of the 

plant, where the reactor is now running at 12 percent of its 

capacity. 

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

Sandy Perle

Director, Technical

ICN Worldwide Dosimetry Service

ICN Plaza, 3300 Hyland Avenue

Costa Mesa, CA 92626



Tel:(714) 545-0100 / (800) 548-5100  Extension 2306

Fax:(714) 668-3149



E-Mail: sandyfl@earthlink.net

E-Mail: sperle@icnpharm.com



Personal Website: http://sandy-travels.com/

ICN Worldwide Dosimetry Website: http://www.dosimetry.com/



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