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.
European Commission
EU complaint filed over Slovak nuclear plant
Sunday, April 13, 2008Lithuania nuclear extension not real option-EU
Friday, April 4, 2008VILNIUS, April 3 (Reuters) - The European Commission on Thursday again poured cold water on Lithuanian hopes to extend the life of the Baltic state's Soviet-era nuclear power plant.
The government has said it will try to convince the Commission that the Baltic state will face serious energy shortages after shutting the Ignalina plant and has appointed a special negotiator to try and secure this goal.
France and UK to step up nuclear co-operation
Friday, March 28, 2008A two-day bilateral summit is to culminate today (27 March) with the signing of a new accord that will see France help the UK develop a new generation of nuclear power stations.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy and UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown are to seal the agreement on Thursday at the Emirates Stadium in North London, the home of Arsenal football club.
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.
Petten nuclear reactor shut down after leak
Tuesday, May 8, 2007The nuclear reactor at Petten which carries out research and produces isotopes for medical use was shut down on Monday following the discovery of a small leak in a cooling water pipe.
The Nuclear Research and Consultancy Group (NRG), which operates the facility, said there is no risk to the public. NRG has started an investigation into the cause of the leak and expects the unit to be out of use for several days.
Slovaks ask government to block uranium mine
Friday, November 10, 2006In Slovakia, plans by Canadian company Tournigan Gold Corporation to open a uranium mine near the Eastern city of Kosice have met with strong opposition from locals. Almost 16,000 people signed a petition requiring the Ministry of Environment not to authorize the project.
Nuclear energy set to dominate G8 summit
Monday, March 13, 2006Paris, March 13, 2006 - Nuclear power will dominate the first G8 energy summit in Moscow next week.
The rising price of fossil fuels, combined with concerns about the greenhouse effect and the demands of the Kyoto agreement ha s meant industrialised nations are having to reconsider how they source their energy supplies. Most countries regard nuclear energy as the solution to environmental concerns and dwindling fossil fuel supplies.
Landslide close to Mailuu-Suu uranium dump
Thursday, April 14, 2005OSH, 14 April 2005 (IRIN) - A landslide which hit the area surrounding the southern Kyrgyz town of Mailuu-Suu on Wednesday evening is causing concern among the authorities because of its proximity to huge radioactive dumps from Soviet-era uranium mines.
The land movement halted the flow of a key river and water source in Mailuu-Suu and blocked the road linking the town with the adjacent village of Sary-Bee, an official told IRIN on Thursday.
Plans for decommissioning EU nuclear power plants under way
Sunday, May 30, 2004The European Commission's forward programme on decommissioning and waste management (D&WM) covers all the decommissioning of all existing installations (operating or otherwise) and the treatment of waste that exists or results from the decommissioning process. The programme is set to be reviewed every four years, primarily so as to take account of any new plants that may be built in the future. The aim is to decommission all existing plants up to "level 3" as soon as possible. This means removing any nuclear materials, any waste and radioactive equipment and any trace of residual radioactive waste in the buildings. The Commission is also investigating the green field option, where the structures are demolished and the land is returned to its original state.
Bulgaria agrees to shut nuclear reactors
Tuesday, November 30, 1999The Bulgarian government has agreed to close four of the six nuclear reactors at its Kozloduy plant by 2006 at the latest, the European Commission said today. The accord means all eight reactors classed as dangerous and "unupgradeable" that are located in countries due to join the EU will be decommissioned within a decade.
The EU has repeatedly stressed that the closure of the four Kozloduy reactors by 2002 would be a condition of Bulgaria's eventual entry into the bloc. But the Bulgarian government recently passed a law which would have seen the last reactor decommissioned only in 2010.
