GREENPEACE WELCOMES PERMANENT CLOSURE OF UNIT 1 OF CHERNOBYL BUT CALLS FOR COMPLETE CLOSURE OF THE NUCLEAR POWER COMPLEX

KIEV, 30 Nov 1996 - Greenpeace welcomed the closure today of one of the three remaining units of the infamous Chernobyl nuclear power complex, but called for the immediate closure of other operating unit because of the danger of another major nuclear accident.

"These reactors are the same basic design as Chernobyl's unit 4 which produced the world's worst nuclear accident, it is totally unacceptable to allow them to continue operating," said Greenpeace Ukraine's spokesperson Alexey Pasyuk said.

Unit 1 was finally closed today, implementing a decision of the Ukrainian government taken in Moscow at the G7 meeting in April. The decomissioning of the plant is being funded by the G7 through a Memorandum of Understanding with the Ukrainian government.

However Chernobyl unit 3 will continue to operate until the year 2000. Both units are RBMK reactors with the same technical deficiency as Chernobyl unit 4 where the world's worst nuclear accident took place in 1986. (Ukraine has agreed not restart Chernobyl's unit 2 which was shut down in 1991 after a fire).

Unit 3 has a joint wall with the shelter over the ruined unit 4 and experts warn that no serious work can be done to make the sarcophagus over unit 4 safer before unit 3 is also closed.

"Chernobyl Unit 3 produces only 1% of Ukraine's energy, while about 40% of energy produced in Ukraine is lost through inefficiency," Pasyuk said.

"For any product to be produced in Ukraine it requires at least 3 times more energy than in Western Europe," Pasyuk said. "It is obvious energy efficiency, and not nuclear power developments, is the answer to the Ukraine's energy needs both on safety and economic grounds"

The Ukrainian government plans to complete two more Soviet designed reactors at Rovno and at Khmelnitsky. Greenpeace is calling the Western investment of approximately $1 billion to be directed away from the nuclear reactors towards energy efficiency and alternative energy production projects.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Alexey Pasyuk on 380- 44-244 3847 IN KIEV

OR,

ANTONY FROGGATT IN LONDON ON 44-171- 865 8282