The People Of Kostroma Decide On Their Future

On December 8th 1996, the Kostroma district will hold a referendum which will decide the future of its citizens. Whether they become "nuclear hostages" or not, will depend on the local population answering "yes" or "no" to the question:

"Do you agree with the siting and construction of the nuclear power plant in the Kostroma district?"

The Kostroma district is situated in the central economic region, bordering the Vologda, Kirov, Nizhnij Novgorod and Yaroslavl districts and is in the Volga basin. The Kostroma district is 60.1 thousand sq km, with a population of 800 000. The town of Kostroma is situated where the Volga and Kostroma rivers meet. The district of Kostroma is less industrially developed than other regions of the Volga basin, as it is traditionally an agricultural area. Its main wealth consists of an abundance of forests, clean rivers and lakes and unpolluted air. All these will be under constant threat if the Kostroma nuclear power plant is commissioned. There is also the inevitable problem of the treatment and storage of radioactive waste, which will to stay in Kostroma forever.

T H E   A U T H O R I T I E S  D E C I D E

The decision to construct a nuclear power plant near the village of Chistye Bory in the Byiskij region of the Kostroma district, was adopted by the CPSU TsK (Central Committee) and Ministers Council of the former Soviet Union on June 1st 1987.

The Kostroma citizens reacted indifferently to the decision, as they were mostly unaware of the problems connected with nuclear power plants. Eighty-five per cent of the working population from the 28 settlements nearby began working on construction at the nuclear complex, which left the sovkhozs (state farms) and kolkhozs (collective farms) without a workforce.

Initially it was intended to construct RBMK (Chernobyl type) reactors, but due to the Chernobyl accident in 1986 it was decided to construct VPBER-600 reactors (the prototype of nuclear submarine reactors, but eight times bigger than those installed on submarines).

On June 15th 1990, the Peoples' Deputies District Council adopted a decision to stop the construction of the nuclear power plant. In the following years a strong nuclear industry-led campaign put pressure on the district authorities, which brought about a new resolution to continue. This was passed in 1992 by the Administration and Peoples' Deputies Council of the Chistye Bory village and Byiskij region. The Russian Government included the Kostroma plant in the list of reactors under construction in Resolution 1026 on December 28th 1992.

The struggle against the construction began in 1993. The campaign was led by a group of local citizens who belong to an organisation called 'In the Name of Life'.

T H E  R E F E R E N D U M  C A M P A I G N

In the Name of Life set out to collect signatures to initiate a referendum on this issue in June 1993. In three months they collected 16 080 signatures (only 10,000 were necessary to call for a referendum). These signatures were presented to the District Council of the Peoples' Deputies. However, due to events which took place after October 1993 (armed conflicts in Moscow), the final session of the District Council managed to adopt a decision to carry a referendum out, but it was taken no further.

The signatures were conveyed to the District Administration, but the District Administration ignored the request. In the Name of Life attempted to appeal to the District Office of the Public Prosecutor, by forwarding their claim to the Sverdlovsk region court, but it was refused to be accepted for consideration. Subsequently, the claim was put to the District Arbitration Court, who also refused to consider the case claiming it was not under their jurisdiction.

After a long confrontation with executive and judicial bodies In the Name of Life managed to get public attention back on to the referendum. But at that time more than 6 000 signatures out of 16 080 were recognised invalid. So they had to start over again.

Despite problems created by the authorities, In the Name of Life managed to collect 36 525 signatures at the beginning of 1996 This was enough for the District Duma to appoint the referendum in compliance with the local laws.

The referendum will now take place together with elections of the District Governor and to the District Duma on December 8th 1996.

D O E S  K O S T R O M A  N E E D   A  N U C L E A R  P O W E R  P L A N T ?

The district authorities claim that the construction of a nuclear power plant will increase development in the region. But this type of industrial complex, which contravenes the historic development and traditions in the region is likely to do more harm than good. Kostroma is a region with a strong tradition of textile workers and flax growers, lumber tradesmen, river workers and cheese makers. In the depths of Kostroma land, large deposits of peat, raw materials for the manufacture of cement and glass, and moulding sand and clay for the production of bricks have been found. Reserves of the highly valuable sediment - silt - have also been found at the bottom of the Chukhloma lake. This material can be used in the chemical industry for the manufacture of fertilisers. The district has considerable natural resources which are used to finance the development of the region. Industrial development such as a nuclear power plant would pose a massive threat to these natural resources.

I N  T H E  N A M E  O F  L I F E

The core of this non-governmental environmental organisation was built up by a few Kostroma citizens. They were concerned with allowing people to stand up for their constitutional rights under the new laws that were being created. The movement was registered on November 11th 1993 by the Kostroma district department of justice.

The organisation became a member of the Social Ecological Union from February, 1994.

For more information on the Kostroma referendum and In The Name of Life please contact:

Eduard Gismatullin, Anti-Nuclear Campaigner Greenpeace Russia Tel: (095) 978 3950, 978 3173, Fax: (095) 251 9088