Tomsk Students Environmental Inspection Team, Siberian
Environmental Agency, GREENPEACE RUSSIA. February 25, 2005, Tomsk -
Moscow. 83% of Tomsk residents oppose a new project of Rosatom
(Federal Atomic Energy Agency) to construct the plant for MOX-fuel
production in their region and they are ready to provide active
support to local NGOs. This conclusion was made according to
results of the survey conducted by Tomsk Students Environmental
Inspection Team (TESI) under the direction of sociologists from
Tomsk State University.
For several years Rosatom has been lobbing for the program of
utilization of weapon plutonium through so called "MOX-program" at
the international level. It provides for construction of the plant
for production of plutonium fuel for NPPs and incineration of
produced fuel in standard reactors of nuclear power stations.
"This project is very dangerous in all aspects, - says Tatyana
Oreshkina, TESI representative. - There are no routine practices of
using MOX for peaceful purposes. Plutonium itself is much more
dangerous than uranium, which is used now for Russian reactors.
Tons of plutonium are going to be transported thousands kilometres,
which in case of an accident will cause threat of radioactive
pollution and it can also be the target of possible terrorist
acts".
Being short of money, Rosatom wants the project to be sponsored
by the G8 countries. The USA is going to be the principal donor.
The project has not been launched yet, because it's not clear who
is going to bear responsibility in case of an accident during fuel
production or utilization. Strange as it is, nobody wants to be
responsible, including Rosatom, which declares safety of the
nuclear energy industry.
"The residents of Tomsk keep in mind Chernobyl and year 1993,
when a serious accident with radioactive emission occurred at the
Tomsk Siberian Chemical Plant, where production of MOX fuel is
going to be started. - says Alexey Toropov from the Siberian
Environmental Agency. - So far residents of the Tomsk region, who
was affected by the accident, have got neither proper compensations
nor medical service. The mechanism of social responsibility does
not work. Everybody knows about hunger-strikes of liquidators of
the Chernobyl accident, who fight for their "Chernobyl death
money". However, the state social policy can't guarantee this
money".
Before the session of G8 heads in June 2004 several thousands
citizens from Tomsk submitted their appeals to the United States
Congress with a demand not to invest in the project and to use
alternative safe and cheaper methods of utilization of results of
the nuclear arms race.
"I don't think that the United States, Rosatom or French
designers of the project are ready to guarantee its safety and to
pay billions of dollars to compensate damage from possible
accidents similar to the Chernobyl one, - said Greenpeace Russia
energy unit head Vladimir Chuprov. - At the moment the compensation
to victims of Chernobyl, apart from other payments, amounts to 7.5
billion roubles a year".
TESI, Siberian Environmental Agency, Greenpeace Russia support
residents of the region. The results of the survey will be made
available for the Russian public, authorities and governments of
the countries - potential donors of the dangerous project.
Contacts:
- In Tomsk: (3822)-563653, 8-906-9479234 (mob.) - Tatyana
Oreshkina, (3822)-563653 - Evgeny Murzakhanov (TESI); (3822)-223739
- Alexei Toropov (Siberian Ecological Agency).
- In Moscow: (095)-2574116, 8-903-1294651 (mob.) - Vladimir
Chouprov (Greenpeace Russia).
Additional information:
MOX-fuel - MOX (mixed oxide) - mixed oxide fuel based on
plutonium and uranium-238 isotopes.
The survey was conducted in the town of Tomsk to estimate the
level of awareness of the population on the issue of the MOX plant
construction. In all 662 people were interrogated, without
allocation of sampling. Among them there are people aged:
18...30 - 50%
30...45 - 27%
45...60 - 18%
Over 60 - 5%
49% of them are men and 51% are women. Among them 24% have
primary and secondary education, 31% - specialized secondary
education, 45% - higher education.
In 1996 the environmental movement "For the sake of Life" in
Kostroma in cooperation with Greenpeace Russian initiated and held
the referendum concerning the construction of the Kostroma NPP. The
great majority of citizens voted against the construction.
Nevertheless, the authorities cancelled the results of the
referendum.
In 1997 the initiative group in the Krasnoyarsk Krai collected
more than 100.000 signatures to hold the referendum concerning the
disposal of irradiated nuclear fuel treatment plant in the region.
The Legislative Assembly banned the referendum.
In February, 2002 the initiative group in the Krasnoyarsk Krai
submitted more than 40 thousand signatures of citizens for the
referendum to impose a ban on the construction of new nuclear
plants. The goal was to prevent import of nuclear waste in the
region. However, On 21st of February, 2002 the election committee
of the Krasnoyarsk Krai rejected about 90% of signatures and
prohibited the referendum.
In 1996 the environmental movement "For the sake of Life" in
Kostroma in cooperation with Greenpeace Russian initiated and held
the referendum concerning the construction of the Kostroma NPP. The
great majority of citizens voted against the construction.
Nevertheless, the authorities cancelled the results of the
referendum.
In 1997 the initiative group in the Krasnoyarsk Krai collected
more than 100.000 signatures to hold the referendum concerning the
disposal of irradiated nuclear fuel treatment plant in the region.
The Legislative Assembly banned the referendum.
In February, 2002 the initiative group in the Krasnoyarsk Krai
submitted more than 40 thousand signatures of citizens for the
referendum to impose a ban on the construction of new nuclear
plants. The goal was to prevent import of nuclear waste in the
region. However, On 21st of February, 2002 the election committee
of the Krasnoyarsk Krai rejected about 90% of signatures and
prohibited the referendum.