One hundred and twenty-one NGOs say they will file a complaint against the completion of the third and fourth reactors at the Mochovce nuclear power plant (EMO). The environmental organisation Greenpeace says that that NGOs and private entities will take action based on their belief that the EMO completion project has not yet undergone an environmental impact assessment (EIA) as
required by law. “The Nuclear Supervision Office of the Slovak Republic, which in this case is the responsible construction office, has not requested an EIA in relation to the completion of the third and fourth units [at] Mochovce so far. In our opinion, which lawyers have also confirmed, a supplementary evaluation according to the law on EIA is now required,” said Pavol Široký, of the organisation For Mother Earth (Za Matku Zem), the SITA newswire reported.
According to lawyer Eva Kováčechová, who is representing Greenpeace and For Mother Earth, they believe there were flaws in the process according to which the construction permit was issued. “European legislation and decisions by the Court of Justice require that in cases where an older permit for construction was issued which is now being carried out, an EIA be performed, especially in cases where the original permit has been considerably changed due to changed circumstances,” Kováčechová said. “A transparent and publicly available evaluation of the impacts of the third and fourth units of Mochovce nuclear power plant on the environment is no invention by environmental activists. The European Commission shares this opinion. What is startling is that this process has not begun in Slovakia at all,” the coordinator of Greenpeace's energy campaign, Karel Polanecký, said. SITA
Compiled by Zuzana Vilikovská from press reports
The Slovak Spectator cannot vouch for the accuracy of the information presented in its Flash News postings.
