3/17 Swedish Decision to Start Nuclear Phase-out

[the.greenbase@green2.greenpeace.org]

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Original-TO:      World Press (Green2:Green2:Gnl:INET)
Original-Cc:      The Greenbase (Green2:Green2:Gnl:Main)
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                   GREENPEACE PRESS RELEASE
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SWEDISH DECISION TO START NUCLEAR  PHASE OUT  "A LONG OVERDUE
STEP IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION" ACCORDING TO GREENPEACE
 
Stockholm, March 17, 1996 (GP) Early  this morning a decision
to immediately begin the phase out   of   nuclear  power  in 
Sweden  was  reached  by   the Extraordinary Congress of the
ruling Social Democratic party. The  decision  to  start the
phase out by shutting  down  one reactor by the end of 1998,
and to proceed "at a steady rate" was adopted at around 5 AM
today by a vote of 219 to 114.
 
"By  this  decision Sweden is leading the way for  the  world
towards  clean  and  safe power of the future,"  said  Dennis
Pamlin  of  Greenpeace in Sweden. "We can  only  applaud  the
Swedish Social Democrats' resolve to become the first country
in the world to take such a progressive step."
 
The  decision was taken despite strong lobbying efforts by  a
portion  of the Swedish industrial sector, who attempted   to
subvert  the  results  of  the 1980  national  referendum  on
nuclear  power.  At that time the majority of the  population
voted  to  permanently  close the 12 Swedish  reactors.   The
industry lobby claimed that the country is not ready for  the
nuclear phase out, technologically and economically.
 
"It  is  a shame that 16 years had to go by after the  people
demanded  the shut down of nukes,  for the process to  begin.
Still, it shows that the Social Democrats are ready to uphold
the  will  of the people, even in the face of heavy  pressure
from industry lobby," Pamlin added.
 
The  industry  view was clearly rejected by the newly elected
head of Social Democrats, and new Swedish Prime Minister, Mr.
Goran  Persson,  who  in his speech  to the  Congress  called
nuclear phase out a pre-requisite for "an energy system which
meets  the demands of the next century ", and therefore  "the
next major program for Swedish Social Democracy".
 
Dennis Pamlin of Greenpeace praised this vision of the reform
of  the whole energy sector towards a sustainable basis.  "It
is  gratifying to see that our message of the  need  and  the
possibility  to change went home.  And that it  was  publicly
affirmed by the new Prime Minister over a sound system  which
we powered by renewable electricity the day before."
 
Greenpeace  has  been  conducting a series  of  high  profile

events  in Sweden in order to increase pressure on the Social
Democrats.  The most recent event took place 2 days  ago,  on
March  15, when Greenpeace turned off the electricity  supply
to the PA system in the meeting hall of the Social Democratic
Congress, substituting its own power line from a mobile solar
power unit.
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FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT
Dennis Pamlin (Stockholm) +46 (70) 78 78 178, +46 (8) 702  70
71
Dima  Litvinov (Stockholm) +46 (8) 751 31 05, +46 (8) 702  70
72
Blair Palese (London) +44 (171) 833 06 00
 
ATTACHMENT (3 PAGES)
Excerpts from the speech by Goran Persson (not distributed to
swedish media)
 

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