Gas crisis gives Slovakia excuse to restart nuclear unit

Slovakia rebuked over nuclear plant
by Nikki Tait
Financial Times, 12 January 2009

Austria has condemned an announcement at the weekend by Slovakia to tackle its gas shortages by reopening a power generator at its ageing Jaslovske Bohunice nuclear plant.

The plant was shut down last year as part of the conditions for Slovakia’s entry into the European Union, and on Sunday neighbouring Austria urged Brussels to ensure Slovakia stuck to its obligations.

“We cannot accept the reopening of this unsafe reactor ... Now it’s up to the European Commission to strongly urge compliance with the accession agreement,” said Nikolaus Berlakovich, Austrian environment minister.

In Brussels, officials made clear there could be “no legal basis” for Slovakia to reopen the plant.

Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009

• Primary Source

WNA: Nuclear power in Bulgaria http://www.world-nuclear.org/info/inf87.html

WNA: Nuclar power in Slovakia http://www.world-nuclear.org/info/inf91.html

BBC News, 6.1.09: Bulgaria urges return to nuclear http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/7814477.stm

Deutsche Welle, 23.1.09: Bulgarian Parliament Calls for Possible Nuclear Reactor Restart http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,,3969865,00.html

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