Ecologists Alarmed at New Nuclear Experiments

"The idea to use plutonium at the power plant entails economic losses and weakening of the non-proliferation regime"
On Friday, August 15 about 40 ecologists from the International anti-nuclear camp participated in a protest action against usage of plutonium at Russian nuclear power plants and against construction of a new nuclear reactor at the Beloyarsk nuclear power plant in the framework of the so-called plutonium program. According to the press-release of the Ecodefense public organization, the protest action started in the center of the Russian city of Yekaterinburg, near the electoral headquarters of Governor Eduard Rossel at noon. The public organization considers Eudard Rossel "a strong champion of the plutonium industry development". A group of mountain-climbers hung a huge poster of 100 square meters saying "NO to New Reactors!" on the building of the headquarters; below near the entrance to the building there was a poster "Stop Plutonium!"

The protest action lasted for about 40 minutes. The police detained two mountain-climbers from the Ecodefense international organization.

Claims of the protesters were voiced by the coordinator of the anti-nuclear camp, Ecodefense co-Chairman Vladimir Slivyak. He said: "We protest against a dangerous experiment involving usage of weapons plutonium at the Beloyarsk nuclear power plant, the project approved by Sverdlovsk Governor Rossel. In the framework of the experiment construction of the forth nuclear reactor is being carried out at the nuclear power plant. The idea to use plutonium at the power plant entails economic losses and weakening of the non-proliferation regime; at that plutonium transportation results in many accidents and plundering."

PRAVDA.Ru already reported that ecologists from different parts of Russia and other countries set up the anti-nuclear camp near Yekaterinburg on August 6, on the day of the 58th anniversary of the Hiroshima bombing. The action was held as a protest against plutonium usage at the Beloyarsk nuclear power plant and against construction of another dangerous fast neutrons reactor there. Participants of the anti-nuclear camp say they are ardent opponents of import of nuclear wastes to Russia that as a result of processing give plutonium for usage at nuclear power plants. Ecologists from the Ecodefense organization think that experiments of the RF Ministry of Nuclear Power involving plutonium and nuclear wastes may entail more nuclear accidents and plutonium contamination of the Russian territories. They add that plutonium usage is unprofitable from the economic point of view and poses the danger of nuclear materials proliferation.

The protest action lasted within the period of August 6-16 and attracted 70 ecologists from 15 cities of Russia, from Switzerland, Latvia and Ukraine.