Nuclear Topics & Countries

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NPP Paks allowed to heat up the Danube

A draft legislation, published on 27 July 2024, would significantly change the conditions for operating the Paks nuclear power plant: while previously there were clear limits on the extent to which the plant could heat up the Danube, in future this could be overridden any time by a ministerial decision. According to the Energiaklub Policy…

Workshop on Westinghouse NPP projects

The Joint Project organized this workshop on 18 June 2024 in Prague. The nuclear revival as it is termed by the nuclear lobby is strongly felt in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE). A close look however makes clear that this high number of planned nuclear power plants is to be built by three reactor manufacturers…

NPP Paks in Hungary

Paks II is one of the most controversial new nuclear power plant construction projects in the EU. Apart from the general problems of nuclear energy utilisation (lack of economic efficiency, risk of accidents, unresolved nuclear waste disposal, etc.), the availability of balanced information for the public is not sufficient, especially in Hungary, also due to…

„Small Modular Reactors“ – first EIA in Poland started

The first environmental impact assessment (EIA) procedures for the so-called Small Modular Reactors (SMR) in the EU started in Poland in the fall of 2023. As of November 2023, three EIA procedures were ongoing. This procedure covers the construction and operation of up to four SMRs with BWRX-300 technology and a total output of up…

French NPP for the Czech Republic?

One of the key topics of French President Emmanuel Macron’s visit to Prague will be efforts to support French state-owned EDF, which is bidding to build new nuclear reactors in the Czech Republic. But there is the failure to build new nuclear power plants on time and at the agreed price, not only abroad but…

EIA on lifetime extension of Olkiluoto 1&2 has started

Olkiluoto 1&2 in Finland started operation in 1978 and 1980. They have already undergone one lifetime extension from the originally planned 40 years up to 60 years, which will be reached in 2038. The ongoing procedure comprises a lifetime extension for additional 10 or even 20 years up to 2048 or 2058, respectively. The reactors…

Unlawful decision of the government of the republic of Bulgaria for the construction of a new NPP

Za Zemiata wrote a letter to the Bulgarian Prime Minister concerning the planned newbuild of Kozloduy 7 pointing to violations of the law The Bulgarian NGOs Za Zemiata and Greenpeace call on the government to stop the procedures for the construction of units 7 and 8 at the Kozloduy NPP, not only due to violations…

Are Bulgarian reactor parts sold to Ukraine?

In July 2023, media reported that Ukraine has started discussions to purchase Bulgaria’s two Russian-made nuclear reactors that were foreseen for the Belene site with EU money. The Joint Project sent a letter to the European Commission to verify: We did not receive an answer, therefore we updated and re-sent the letter on 5 Feb…

“Russian Grip on EU Nuclear Power” – updated study

An update of Patricia Lorenz’s study “Russian Grip on EU Nuclear Power” was commissioned by the Viennese Environmental Ombudsman and “Cities for a Nuclear Free Europe” (CNFE). The study analyses the European nuclear sector’s dependency on Russia. In particular, it also analyses possible EU strategies to reduce this dependency. The EU has not come any…

Dukovany 5: from EIA to construction license

For the first time ever, NPP permitting procedures were open to NGOs beyond the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), which is usually the only possibility for public participation. The transboundary EIA for Dukovany 5 took place in 2018 with hearings not only in the Czech Republic, but also in Vienna and Munich. However, the EIA was…