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The myth of France’s ‘nuclear solution’ to climate change

French Nuclear Madness won’t save the climate Baltic Sea, 7th Space  International 16 Nov 09 — Today six activists from the Greenpeace ship Arctic Sunrise boarded the cargo ship Happy Ranger in the Fehmarn Belt between Denmark and Germany. The activists are carrying banners reading “Nuclear Madness, made in France”. The ship is carrying steam turbines supplied by the French nuclear company AREVA to the Olkiluoto 3 nuclear reactor currently under construction in Finland.

Today’s action was taken to highlight the fact that nuclear energy not only exposes the public to radiation hazards, but undermines effective climate protection. Greenpeace is calling on the Finnish government to stop the work at Olkiluoto 3.

“Construction of the EPR reactor in Olkiluoto has been a disaster. This dangerous mistake has cost Finland years of action on climate protection. By choosing nuclear power the Finnish government shut the door on investments in renewable energy and energy saving projects.” said Lauri Myllyvirta , Energy Campaigner with Greenpeace Nordic.

In 2002 Finns were promised that a new reactor would help the country cut its greenhouse gas emissions. But now the owners of the new reactor, far from cutting down on the use of dirty fuels, are planning new polluting fossil-fired power stations. As Greenpeace predicted, the reactor is suffering from chronic quality problems and massive budget overruns.
Construction of Olkiluoto reactor is already more than three years behind schedule and the estimated cost has soared from €3.2 billion to €5.5 billion. While some of that cost will be paid by French taxpayers, the impact of the delay will end up costing 600 euros for every man, woman and child in Finland (2).

“The Finnish experience once more shows that nuclear power is a dead end. If governments are serious about cutting greenhouse gas emissions, they must focus their efforts on renewable energy and energy efficiency measures. Unlike expensive, dangerous nuclear reactors, these are reliable, fast to implement, and clean,” commented Jan Beránek, head of the nuclear campaign at Greenpeace International.

French Nuclear Madness won’t save the climate – 7thSpace Interactive

November 16, 2009 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | 1, Finland, spinbuster | antinuclear, AREVA, France, nuclear, nuclear costs, nuclear spin