Environmental campaign group Greenpeace has filed a complaint with the European commission, alleging illegal state aid in the development of the controversial Mochovce nuclear power plant.
"Market-distorting measures" were put in place by Slovak authorities to persuade Slovak electricity utility Slovenske elektrarne, in which Italian firm Enel has a majority share, to participate in "what would otherwise have been an unviable and unattractive project," Greenpeace claims.
ENEL
EU complaint filed over Slovak nuclear plant
Sunday, April 13, 2008Enel CEO says Italy can build nuclear plant in 7 years
Monday, April 7, 2008MILAN (Thomson Financial) - Italy could build a nuclear power plant in just seven years if the country uses a site already destined for such purposes in the past, said Fulvio Conti, CEO of the electricity generator Enel SpA, in an interview with Saturday's La Repubblica.
Italy banned the use of nuclear energy in Italy in 1987, but Silvio Berlusconi, the head of a right-wing coalition indicated by opinion polls as the probable winner of general elections to be held on April 13-14, advocates the reintroduction of nuclear power and believes it could take five years to build a power plant.
Mochovce Nuclear Power Plant can meet difficulties
Tuesday, March 11, 2008The completion of the third and fourth blocks at the Mochovce nuclear power plant in Slovakia can meet difficulties, reports Hospodarske Noviny daily. Apart from traditionally anti-nuclear oriented Austrian neighbour, objections are raised also by Green Fraction at the European Parliament. They say that Mochovce design and its equipment is not based on accident and earthquake safety considerations. In addition, they claim that Mochovce construction is far too advanced to be retrofitted to comply with international safety standards.
Greenpeace protests against Erste Bank's financing of Slovakian nuclear plant
Thursday, March 6, 2008VIENNA Thomson Financial - Greenpeace activists 'walled in' a branch of one of Austria's largest banks, Erste Bank AG, in the centre of Vienna on this morning in protest against its financing of the Mochovce nuclear plant in Slovakia.
A group of around thirty activists erected a brickwall in front of the bank's main entrance on one of the capital's busy pedestrian zones and called for Erste Bank to cancel its loan to the Slovak utility Slovenske Elektrarne.
Price for French nuclear tech may prove too high
Monday, March 3, 2008With France pushing for greater cooperation on nuclear power with Romania, the Canadians who first introduced nuclear tech to Romania argue the Gallic technology comes at a cost the country may not be willing to pay.
Romania plans to build a second nuclear power station, but its rumoured interest in French nuclear technology may prove too expensive an option. News of the country’s flirtation with French nuclear technology arose when President Nicolas Sarkozy visited Bucharest last February.
Dutch bank ING 'no comment' on report it will not finance upgrade of Slovakia's Mochovce NPP
Monday, February 4, 2008PRAGUE. FEBRUARY 4. INTERFAX CENTRAL EUROPE - Dutch bank ING has declined to comment on a report it will not invest any money into a project to upgrade Slovakia's Soviet-era Mochovce nuclear power plant (NPP), while remaining lead bank in a USD 800 mln corporate revolving credit facility secured by Slovak utility Slovenske elektrarne (SE) chiefly for that purpose.
Slovakia to call tender to expand nuke plant
Monday, January 21, 2008BRATISLAVA, Jan 21 (Reuters) - Slovakia will open a tender this year to expand the Jaslovske Bohunice nuclear power plant, seeking to boost power capacity to meet demands of its growing economy, Economy Minister Lubomir Jahnatek said on Monday.
"We expect that the tender will be called this year," Jahnatek told reporters after meeting his Czech counterpart Martin Riman.
Bulgaria seeks better offers for new nuclear plant
Thursday, December 20, 2007Thu Dec 20, 2007 8:04am EST
SOFIA, Dec 20 (Reuters) - Bulgaria's state power utility NEK said on Thursday it had asked strategic investors to file improved offers to acquire a 49-percent stake in a planned new nuclear power plant by Jan. 9.
NEK executive director Lyubomir Velkov told reporters all five short-listed bidders had been invited to sweeten their bids for the 2,000 megawatt, 4.0 billion euro ($5.75 billion) power plant at the Danube river town of Belene.
Bulgaria To Start Building Belene Nuke in 2009 - Official
Tuesday, December 11, 2007(Novinite) Bulgaria will be able to start construction works on the planned Belene nuclear power plant no sooner than 2009, the head of the country's nuclear regulator said on Monday.
The regulator is yet to rule on the technical details of the project and the proposed safety measures, said Sergey Tsochev, who chairs Bulgaria's Nuclear Regulation Agency.
EU says favours new Bulgarian nuclear power plant
Friday, December 7, 2007Fri Dec 7, 2007 2:13pm GMT
BRUSSELS, Dec 7 (Reuters) - The European Commission gave a green light o the construction of a new, 4-billion-euro ($5.82 billion) nuclear power plant in Bulgaria with capacity of 2,000 megawatts, it said on Friday.
"The Commission has decided today to give a favourable opinion to the initiative of Natsionalna Elektricheska Kompania (NETC) of Bulgaria to build a new nuclear power plant at the site of Belene," the EU executive said in a statement.
