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Slovakia says it might reopen nuclear plant if gas freeze lasts
Bratislava (AFP) Jan 7, 2009 Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico said on Wednesday that Slovakia might reopen a power generating unit at Jaslovske Bohunice nuclear plant if a freeze of gas supplies from Russia continued. "Should Slovakia continue to be a hostage of this bilateral conflict between Russia and Ukraine, I can imagine reopening of the shut-down unit at Jaslovske Bohunice nuclear plant," Fico told a press conference. On December 31, Slovakia shut down the last unit of the Jaslovske Bohunice plant, meeting a commitment it made to the EU that paved the way for its 2004 entry into the European Union. Fico had said previously that the Soviet-designed VI nuclear block might be reopened to offset the fallout of the global financial crisis. Slovakia has always argued that the plant is safe and could have continued to operate until 2020 or 2025. Earlier on Wednesday, the biggest Slovak gas company SPP curbed deliveries for industrial clients after Russia cut off all gas deliveries to Slovakia. Economy Minister Lubomir Jahnatek said the total cut of Russian gas deliveries to Slovakia would not have a major impact on the country's economy. "This situation won't last forever, its a question of a few days ... There will be no big impact on the economy," Jahnatek said. SPP chairman Bernd Wagner said at the same press conference: "This is the first time in history there are no deliveries coming from Ukraine ... SPP is doing everything to secure deliveries to eastern and western Slovakia, our key priority is the household sector," He added: "Its inevitable for industrial users to comply with emergency regime which has been declared," he added. According to Fico, Slovakia will probably host a meeting of the "Visegrad Four" countries of the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia on Thursday. "This is the European problem, not only problem of Slovakia or the Czech Republic," said Fico. "Europe's depencency on the Russian gas will increase, in the years 2020-2030, it will be much higher than today," he added. Related Links Nuclear Power News - Nuclear Science, Nuclear Technology Powering The World in the 21st Century at Energy-Daily.com
Niger picks France's Areva to operate giant uranium mine: company
Paris (AFP) Jan 5, 2009French nuclear energy group Areva said on Monday it had been awarded a licence to operate a uranium mine in Nigerm which it described as the biggest in Africa and the second biggest in the world. |
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