By Jean Christou
CANADIAN MP Jim Karygiannis and environmentalist David Martin will arrive on the island on Monday to urge Cypriots to intensify efforts to oppose the nuclear plant that Turkey plans to build at Akkuyu Bay on its southern coast.
The plant would be the first nuclear installation anywhere in the Mediterranean and there has been strong opposition to the move because of the risk of earthquakes in the region.
Independent research indicates that a seismic active fault line lies near the site and that an earthquake would be the most likely cause of a catastrophe meltdown accident at Akkuyu, which is only 140 kilometres from Nicosia.
Opponents argue that efficiency programmes, renewable energy and natural gas would be cheaper, cleaner and safer than nuclear power.
Critics also suggest that Turkey’s nuclear programme could help it to develop nuclear weapons and escalate the nuclear arms race in the Middle East.
Canada’s state-owned nuclear company, Atomic Energy of Canada Limited (AECL), is considered the leading contender to build the Turkish plant. AECL is competing against Nuclear Power International (NPI), a consortium of the German company Siemens and the French company Framatone, and a third bidder, a partnership of Westinghouse (USA) and Mitsubishi (Japan).
The announcement of the contract had been expected in June 1998 but was repeatedly delayed.
Controversy following the recent devastating earthquake on August 17 is seen as a likely factor in the delay. On October 13, Turkish Energy Minister Cumhur Ersumer stated that the announcement would again be delayed until at least December 31 and possibly even until March 31, 2000.
“The governments of all reactor vendors should withdraw their bids to build a nuclear plant for Turkey at Akkuyu,” said Karygiannis in a written statement ahead of his visit to the island. “The Mediterranean Sea must be kept nuclear free”.
Martin said the Turkish government and reactor vendors were engaged in a conspiracy of silence to conceal the real risk of earthquake damage. “Safety is being sacrificed to save money,” he said. “Cypriots must express their concerns to the governments of the countries trying to sell reactors to Turkey.”
