GREENPEACE DENMARK: IT'S CLOSING TIME FOR BARSEBAECK

25 March 1999

Barsebaeck/Copenhagen -- Greenpeace Denmark today carried out an action on the Swedish nuclear plant at Barsebaeck to protest against the continued delay of the shutting down of reactor B1. Barsebaeck is situated only 20 km from the Danish capital of Copenhagen.

Greenpeace activists from Denmark, Sweden, Germany, Austria and Slovakia hung a 10 x 15 metre banner on the reactor building reading 'LUKKETID' (closing time). In addition, activists have climbed to the tops of both the B2 reactor building and the Filtra-building. The Greenpeace activists intend to stay until their message has been understood.

The Swedish government decided in February 1998, that reactor B1 at the Barsebaeck nuclear plant was to shut down before 1 July 1998 and the second reactor -(B2) must close in 2001. Sydkraft - the owners of Barsebaeck - filed a complaint to the Swedish Administrative Court (Regeringsretten), which allowed B1 to continue operating until the Court ruling. The ruling of the Court was expected before Christmas 1998, but on 22nd December the Court merely announced that it might ask the European Court of Justice for advice in the matter, which could mean another two years delay.

In addition, Sydkraft has complained to the European Commission, charging that the governmental order to shut down reactor B1 contravenes EU competition rules. Sydkraft has also stated that, if the Administrative Court rules against the company, they will demand at Stockholm City Court (Tingsrett) that the closure of reactor B1 is postponed until the European Commission has reviewed the case.

"Sydkraft and its main shareholder - German PreussenElektra - are apparently intent on protecting their economic interests in order to prevent the closure of one of the worst situated nuclear plants in the world," says Greenpeace Denmark's Barsebaeck campaigner Tarjei Haaland.

"Today's action is intended to remind all parties involved that consideration must be given to the safety of the population of a neighbouring country, which has said no to nuclear energy."

Based on a recent Probabilistic Safety Analysis (PSA), the Swedish nuclear power plant authority SKI determined on 24 February 1999, that the probability for damages in the reactor core due to failure in the cooling system is "relatively high". While SKI demanded that safety measures must be upgraded, they failed to order an immediate shutdown of the plant for the remedy of these safety problems. "Allowing Barsebaeck to continue operations until Summer before fundamental safety improvements are made is highly irresponsible" says Haaland.

Following a popular referendum in 1980, the Swedish Parliament (Riksdag) decided to phase-out nuclear power before 2010, but no nuclear reactors have yet been shut down. According to the Swedish radiation protection agency SSI, an accident at Barsebaeck could have more grave consequences than accidents at other Swedish nuclear plants, since Barsebaeck is situated in the most densely populated area in Scandinavia.

Ever since the first reactor was started in 1975, popular opposition to the Barsebaeck nuclear plant has been strong in neighbouring Denmark, where plans for introducing nuclear power were abandoned in 1985. Situated only some 20 km from the Danish capital, a serious accident at the Barsebaeck nuclear plant could result in a national catastrophe.

The close vicinity of Barsebaeck to Copenhagen has prompted the Swedish government to decide that Barsebaeck should be closed as the first Swedish nuclear plant. Yet Sweden has twice rejected requests from the Danish government to negotiate a bilateral agreement on unlimited liability to pay for damages in case of an accident.

"Considerations for the safety of the population near the plant and protection of the environment must prevail over legal and economic issues - it's closing time for Barsebaeck", says Haaland.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT:

- Tarjei Haaland, Greenpeace Denmark Barsebaeck Campaigner +45 40553203
- Jan Soendergaard, Greenpeace Denmark Executive Director +46 706087481
- Press: Dan Hindsgaul, Greenpeace Denmark +45 3393 8660 or +45 40205857
Stills and video from the action: Mats Holmberg, Greenpeace Nordic - tel. +46 707726410
Briefing material and updated action news in Danish - www.greenpeace.dk
Updated action news and background in English:www.greenpeace.org/~nuclear/reactor/sweden/index.html