ANTI-NUCLEAR activists from Greenpeace Slovensko have failed in their lawsuit against Slovakia’s Nuclear Regulatory Authority (ÚJD) regarding the finalisation of construction of the third and fourth nuclear reactors at the Mochovce power plant. The Bratislava Regional Court dismissed the organisation’s suit, the SITA newswire wrote, adding that Greenpeace will likely appeal the ruling.
Greenpeace disagreed with the authority’s assertion that the public was invited to participate in the permitting process for the third and fourth nuclear reactors at the facility, arguing that the ÚJD had not invited its organisation to take part in the procedure and that the ÚJD issued the permit without making an environmental impact assessment.
The environmental organisation also argued that the Aarhus Convention Compliance Committee had previously decided in favour of Greepeace and ruled that Slovakia had breached the rights of the public when it approved the construction of the third and fourth nuclear reactors.
Martin Pospíšil, director of the legislative and legal department of ÚJD, believes the court’s ruling is correct, saying “it upheld the office, which finally confirms the lawfulness of its procedure”.
The ÚJD argued before the court that constructing the third and fourth reactors in Mochovce was neither a new activity nor a change in the scope of the power plant’s activity.
“It is still a nuclear power plant with the same projected performance, based on the same principle,” ÚJD stated, as quoted by SITA, adding that the status of the power plant will change only after a permit launching its operation is issued.
