nuclear-news

Football in a Russian town, in the shadow of a huge and dangerous nuclear complex

Guardian 7th Oct 2017, If England are looking for self-reflection and meditation, this sleepy
Russian town where they will train during the World Cup next summer could
fit the bill. The 10-minute drive north from their modest accommodation in
the village of Repino, 19 miles from St Petersburg, cuts through birch and
pine forest, the view occasionally punctuated by a large steak restaurant
or a glimpse of the Baltic Sea.

An invisible nuclear threat could be
lurking among the tranquillity, warn scientists and researchers. Across the
Gulf of Finland lies the town of Sosnovy Bor, home to the largest nuclear
cluster in the Baltic Sea region.

Next year, upgrades to the Leningrad
nuclear power plant, as well as the completion of a new nuclear facility,
are expected to go on stream. While they pose no immediate threat to
residents, neither have undergone environmental impact checks, says
physicist Oleg Bodrov, who sits on the board at the Public Council of the
South Coast of the Gulf of Finland, a non-profit organisation concerned
with the local environment.

“If an accident happens, it will take one and
a half hours to reach Repino,” said Bodrov, adding that Russia’s
state-run atomic industry has forfeited safety for economic gain. “Fifa
should take this into account.” https://www.theguardian.com/football/2017/oct/07/russia-2018-world-cup-england-base-gareth-southgate

October 11, 2017 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | general