The European Commission is in discussions with Russia to provide financial help for the completion of a nuclear reactor of the same type that caused the 1986 Chernobyl disaster, according to a document obtained this week by Friends of the Earth. (1) The unfinished Kursk-5 reactor, situated 300km south of Moscow, has been listed for possible funding under the Euratom Loans scheme, which the European Commission is proposing to significantly expand.
Kursk-5 is a 1000-megawatt ‘RMBK’ type reactor, one of the first generation of Soviet-designed stations. Construction began in December 1985 - just five months before the world’s worst nuclear accident at Chernobyl in neighbouring Ukraine - but work was later suspended due to a lack of funds. Kursk-5 is the only ‘RMBK’ plant anywhere in the world still to be completed.
The Euratom Loans scheme, introduced in 1977 to further promote nuclear power in line with the Euratom Treaty, allows the European Commission to facilitate loans for the development of nuclear projects, subject to Member States agreeing an overall limit. In November last year, the Commission proposed increasing this ‘ceiling’ for Euratom loans from €4000M to €6000M, although they did not specify publicly what projects the additional funds would be spent on.
Kursk-5 is a 1000-megawatt ‘RMBK’ type reactor, one of the first generation of Soviet-designed stations. Construction began in December 1985 - just five months before the world’s worst nuclear accident at Chernobyl in neighbouring Ukraine - but work was later suspended due to a lack of funds. Kursk-5 is the only ‘RMBK’ plant anywhere in the world still to be completed.
The Euratom Loans scheme, introduced in 1977 to further promote nuclear power in line with the Euratom Treaty, allows the European Commission to facilitate loans for the development of nuclear projects, subject to Member States agreeing an overall limit. In November last year, the Commission proposed increasing this ‘ceiling’ for Euratom loans from €4000M to €6000M, although they did not specify publicly what projects the additional funds would be spent on.