Czech environmental activists call to scrap limited nuclear damage liability

March 13, 2013 – 6:31am
ČTK |
12 March 2013

http://praguemonitor.com/2013/03/12/activists-call-higher-liability-nuclear-damage

Prague, March 11 (CTK) – Czech environmental activists from associations Calla and South-Bohemian Mothers yesterday called on the State Authority for Nuclear Safety (SUJB) to push through cancellation of limited liability for damage that might be caused by nuclear power plants Temelin and Dukovany.

The activists are considering turning to the European Commission in the matter because the situation in other European countries is similar.

“The goal of the appeal is to start to change the Czech unsatisfactory situation that enables an operator of a nuclear power plant to be liable for nuclear damage only to the amount of Kc8bn,” Edvard Sequens of the Calla association told CTK.

Sequens noted that the amount of damage after the accident in Japanese power plant Fukushima is estimated to reach Kc4,300bn after conversion into Czech crowns.

The amount of liability for nuclear damage is set by the atomic law. Sequens said nuclear damage liability in the Czech Republic is lower than the amount required by international conventions.

Electricity company CEZ which operates both the Czech nuclear power plants told CTK it is liable for its facilities in line with the law.

“The Czech Republic has signed the Vienna convention and Brussels protocol on nuclear damage liability. This means we are operating in a similar mode as any other nuclear power plant in the European Union or Switzerland,” CEZ spokeswoman Barbora Pulpanova said.

Both our nuclear power plants – Dukovany and Temelin – have signed an insurance contract with the Nuclear Insurance Pool, as required by law. The pool has international reinsurance, as is common. Nuclear energy is, in general, based on accountability to the world,” Pulpanova added.

Limited liability for nuclear damage was, according to activists, set in the past as part of support to the development of nuclear energy. But Sequens said such support is unjustifiable now.

“No other industry, including chemical producers, for example, has limited liability in any way, but is liable for full damage,” he said.

Attention to limited liability for damage of nuclear power plants in the European Union was in February drawn by a study written by Upper Austrian lawyers.

The experts said the low level of nuclear power plants’ liability runs against EU regulations and can be labelled as a breach of competition laws.

The Czech activists do not cooperate with Austrian authorities, but they want to inform the European Commission about the situation of Czech nuclear power plants.

“We will try to write about our opinion to the commission. We know that the commission is planning to present this year the framework of a regulation that is to deal with this at a European level,” Sequens said.

“At this moment, the situation we can see in a number of countries in Europe is very unsatisfactory,” Sequens said.

“But there are also countries which can be an example for others such as Germany where an operator is liable for full damage,” he added.
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http://praguemonitor.com/2013/03/12/activists-call-higher-liability-nuclear-damage