Shut down now
This is how dangerous the Krško nuclear power plant really is
New, explosive expert reports reveal the enormous earthquake risk // Reactor came close to disaster during earth tremors at the end of 2020 // Opposition to the ancient reactor is growing in neighboring countries // Now there is a unique opportunity to "turn off the power" to Krško
The bomb is ticking just 80 kilometers from the Carinthian border: the local inspection by "Krone" and the environmental organization Global 2000 at the center of the ancient Krško reactor shook many Carinthians awake over the Whitsun weekend. There was an immediate outcry from many local politicians. The general tenor: now there is a realistic possibility of "turning off the power" to the high-risk nuclear power plant once and for all!
It would be nice if renewable energy would also come to the fore with our Slovenian neighbors!
Gerald Dobernig, Verantwortung Erde
Environmental review currently underway
Because if the operators fail the current environmental impact assessment, the plant will have to be shut down in two years' time. However, if Slovenia gets through to the authorities, the 30-year nuclear power plant, which already has almost 40 years under its belt, will run for another 20 years.
This would mean that the nuclear power plant would run for twice as long as planned in the 1980s. "An extension is an irresponsible gamble with the brittleness of sensitive parts," warns Reinhard Uhrig, anti-nuclear expert at Global 2000.
But it is not only the Austrians who are seriously concerned about Krško: Together with the Slovenian partners of "Friends of the Earth", Global 2000 fought for the cross-border inspection of the plant last year in the first place before it was extended. "Together with our Croatian and Italian partners, we are also collecting signatures to get our politicians to take action - against the extension and for immediate decommissioning," says Uhrig.
Retrofitting the ageing reactor will be so complex and expensive that shutting it down is the better choice!
Reinhard Uhrig von Global 2000
Retrofitting a nuclear power plant would be complex and expensive
According to the anti-nuclear activists, there is now an opportunity to put the major risks and massive concerns on the table as part of the environmental review. "Retrofitting the ageing reactor will be so complex and expensive that shutting it down and replacing it with renewable energies, which have long been much cheaper, in combination with energy saving is the better choice," says expert Reinhard Uhrig.
Explosive information on the risk of earthquakes
The "Krone" has now received further explosive information from the anti-nuclear campaigners at Global 2000: As previously reported, Krško is located on an earthquake line - and is the nuclear power plant most at risk of earthquakes in the whole of Europe. However, new geological research shows that the risk is much higher than was calculated when the plant was built decades ago!
In the 1970s, the so-called maximum horizontal peak acceleration during earthquakes was estimated at 0.3 g (g-forces stand for loads). After further investigations, this value was raised to 0.55 g. However, even this value is now considered too low by scientists: "0.85 g is realistic - but the outdated Krško reactor is not designed for this at all," Global 2000 sounds the alarm.
Core meltdown threatens in the event of a severe earthquake
What would happen in the Slovenian scrap reactor if major earth tremors were to occur? "An earthquake of this magnitude is likely to damage the reactor core. Even a core meltdown is possible, as an investigation in the course of EU stress tests has shown," explains Reinhard Uhrig. The severe earthquake (magnitude 6.4) in December 2020, the epicenter of which was only 85 kilometers away from Krško, was a direct "shot across the bow": the nuclear reactor was shut down by the protection system!
"We were very lucky once again"
"We were lucky once again. But things can look very different in the event of more severe quakes. We don't want to imagine what would happen if a nuclear power plant on our doorstep were to explode - we'd rather flick the switch in time," the activist appeals to politicians.
Fortunately, however, the Europe-wide trend is clearly moving towards the end of nuclear power plants: Germany is phasing them out next year in 2022, Belgium will shut down its reactors by 2025 and Switzerland will do so in 2034. Until then, however, Austria is still surrounded by the radiating danger (see graphic above)...
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