PRESS RELEASE: NPP Ostrovets: No va-banque game at our borders!
PRESS RELEASE, Thursday, 11th of February 2020 – Brussels
NPP Ostrovets: No va-banque game at our borders!
The European Parliament has just adopted by a large majority a resolution on the Belarusian nuclear power plant Ostrovets. Located only 20 km from the EU border and 45 km from the Lithuanian capital Vilnius, the nuclear power plant started operation in November despite inadequate safety precautions and is scheduled for commercial operation from March.
The European Nuclear Safety Regulators Group (ENSREG) is on mission in Belarus this week to assess the state of the plant. A report is to be published in the coming months.
Greens/EFA MEP Jutta Paulus comments:
„As long as all safety concerns about the Belarusian nuclear power plant Ostrovets have not been resolved, it must not go into commercial operation. I expect the European Commission to insist on the full implementation of the recommendations of the stress tests carried out. There must be no safety discount for nuclear power plants, whether inside or outside the European Union! Therefore, power plants that no longer meet the necessary safety requirements must also be shut down immediately. Playing with nuclear fire must not become a disaster for our citizens.”