Greens MEP: Bulgaria's Belene NPP Extremely Dangerous

Greens MEP Rebecca Harms has met with Bulgarian Economy and Energy Minister Traikov in Sofia. Photo by BGNES

Bulgaria’s second nuclear power plant must not be built because it is too dangerous, according to the Co-Chair of the Greens EP Group, Rebeca Harms.

Harms met Friday in Sofia with Bulgaria’s Minister of Economy, Energy, and Tourism, Traicho Traikov to discuss the plans of the Bulgarian government to construct with respect to the planned nuclear plant at the Danube town of Belene.

According to the German MEP, the fact that the new nuclear plant will be built by the Russian state company Atomstroyexport will deepen Bulgaria’s energy dependence on Russia. In her own words, the Bulgarian Minister has said that he was aware of the fact that the Belene project is dominated by Russia will not be good for Bulgaria.

Harms believes that another negative side of the project has to do with the likelihood that the realization of the Belene project will make nuclear energy the major source electricity source in Bulgaria, and will stifle the growth of renewable energy industries.

“I think that the belief in nuclear energy is outdated. The Bulgarian Members of the European Parliament are ignoring the real problems instead of finding solutions,” said the Greens MEP after her meeting with Traikov.

Earlier in May 2010, the European Parliament sealed the allocation of EUR 300 M of additional decommissioning aid to Bulgaria for the closure of reactors of 1-4 of the Kozloduy Nuclear Power Plant. Bulgaria closed the four Soviet-made 440 MW units in 2002 and 2006 under its EU Accession Treaty, leaving the Kozloduy plant with only two 1000 MW reactors.

As an EP rapporteur on the nuclear decommissioning aid, Rebecca Harms stirred an outrage among the Bulgarian MEPs when she suggested additional conditions for its allocation including a requirement that Bulgaria should spend EUR 120 M of the EUR 300 M of aid in order to start building a nuclear waste facility.

Her proposal was rejected by the EP, which allowed the Bulgarian government to dispose of the money at its own discretion including by funding energy efficiency and renewable energy projects.

“I was surprised to see that my Bulgarian colleagues are unwilling to use any money from the EUR 300 M in order to start any kind of new projects,” Harms declared while pointing out the threats posed by nuclear waste.

An interview of Novinite.com (Sofia News Agency) with Rebecca Harms READ HERE

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