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Prague, 28 August 2000
- Greenpeace has today lodged a complaint to the state prosecutor for criminal acts of falsification of documents and threatening public health against an unknown offender. The complaint relates to the wrong installation of the main steam pipes to the Temelin reactor vessel, about which Greenpeace warned government members and the highest state authority for nuclear safety (SUJB) already last week. Greenpeace has also asked Prime Minister Milos Zeman to present tomorrow the case to the National Security Council of which he is chair, with the demand to take necessary steps.
In reply to Greenpeace's letter, SUJB confirmed wrong assembly of the pipe. According to a letter, that Dana Drabova, chairwoman of SUJB, sent to Greenpeace last week, the repair was carried out in a different way from what Greenpeace's sources claim. SUJB says it was carried out in compliance with standard norms. This discrepancy leads Greenpeace to suspect that someone must have falsified documents even before SUJB inspectors' arrival.
"We have no reason to doubt our sources. A thorough investigation can confirm this," Jiri Tutter of
Greenpeace told. "We demand SUJB to stop all the activities leading towards activation of the fuel in the current situation. Fuel activation may prevent conducting all necessary inspection of the seams," he added. However, SUJB does not see a reason why it should give an order to halt the activities.
Greenpeace's sources insist, that it was not possible to remove the zone that is effected by heat around the original seam - as is required by the regulations - because the pipe would become too short. According to experts, such a procedure leads to highly increased fragility, cracks and the danger of subsequent rupture of whole pipe from reactor vessel. As this is the main pipe of the reactor cooling system, it would mean a nuclear catastrophe of enormous proportions.
The whole process seems to prove what Greenpeace has been claiming for quite some time. There are many non-transparent processes in Temelin that SUJB does not see or does not want to see. According to Greenpeace, SUJB is failing to play the role of the supervisor that protects the nuclear safety of the public.
"People should realize at this point of time, that their health and lives might be in jeopardy. They should call on the Czech Government and their elected representatives and demand proper investigation of this case," concluded Jan Haverkamp, nuclear project coordinator with Greenpeace.
Further information:
Jan Haverkamp, campaigner nuclear issues (English, German), mobile: +420.604.257 822
Jiri Tutter, director Greenpeace Czech Republic, tel: +420.2.2431 9667, mobile +420.603.443 140
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