Karlstad
26 November 2017
PRESS RELEASE
Bulgarian authorities must act to secure the safety of the Kozloduy Nuclear Power Plant
Bulgaria’s Kozloduy Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) is an immediate threat to the local environment and population after its Chernobyl-style No. 5 reactor expired on 7 November 2017 (operational for a maximum of 30 years). It is currently operating illegally without complying with current European conventions (Espoo and Aarhus). The European Green Party calls on Bulgarian authorities to secure the safety of the Kozloduy NPP by accepting requests for a full Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report.
The Romanian Green Party states that Bulgaria decided to proceed with the lifetime extension of reactors No. 5 and No. 6 without any public information and debates and ignoring a request from Romanian authorities for a full Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report. A team of 2 International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) staff members, 5 external experts and 4 observers conducted an expert review of the Kozloduy NPP and identified 11 issues in fundamental areas. None of these issues have been addressed.
Bulgaria’s notification for the extension of reactor No. 5 states there is no risk to the Romania/Bulgaria border, although it did not support its claims. The most recent seismic data risk assessment points to a ‘likely’ severe incident. Extreme earthquakes have periodically struck the Kozloduy region: 1908 (magnitude 7.1), 1940 (magnitude 7.7), 1977 (magnitude 7.4), 1986 (magnitude 7.1), 30 and 31 May,1990 (magnitude 6.9 and 6.4).
Bulgaria’s decision not to proceed with a full Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report, in a transboundary perspective, is a flagrant violation of the Espoo convention.
Immediate international support and pressure on the Bulgarian and Romanian authorities to fully respect the European Espoo and Aarhus conventions is needed based on these concerns, in terms of the risk posed to local populations by the Kozloduy NPP. The move receives full backing from the Romanian Green Party, the Bulgarian Green Party, the “Danube Region Nuclear Free” coalition in Vienna, as well as other major NGOs in Romania and Bulgaria.
The European Green Party Committee calls on Bulgarian authorities to secure the safety of the Kozloduy NPP by accepting requests for a full Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report.
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