Categories
Journalistic Survey
Articles
Reportage
Analitic
Photo Reportage
Exclusive
Interview
Foreign Media about Georgia
Editorial
Position
Reader's opinion
Blog
Themes
Children's Rights
Women's Rights
Justice
Refugees/IDPs
Minorities
Media
Army
Health
Corruption
Elections
Education
Penitentiary
Religion
Others

Population against Nuclear Reactor

June 19, 2007

siraqib_1.gif

The authority plans to build nuclear reactor in Shiraki Valley in Kakheti. Mamuka Kudava, Georgian Ambassador to France, made a statement about the initiative. According to the information, the negotiations about the construction are going on with the French Company “Areva”. The government urges the population to support the project and promises we will have positive changes in Georgian economy. As for the population, they threaten to hold protest demonstrations and to pull down the reactor if it is built up.

The information about the reactor was spread during Mikheil Saakashvili’s visit in Paris. Later on, Mamuka Kudava made a public statement that our government starts cooperation with the French Company Areva regarding the construction of nuclear reactor. He added that the reactor will resolve electricity problem in Georgia and it will be a serious guarantee in our economy. “With modern equipments nuclear reactor can be built within five-year-time. In this situation it will be not only Georgian, but regional project where a lot of people will be employed,” said Kudava.

Official information states that if the question is settled positively, the reactor will be situated in Dedophlistskaro District in Kakheti. Local population is seriously concerned regarding the situation.
“People living in the villages in Dedophlistskaro District feel bad apart of it. Since the Soviet Union collapsed, radioactive substances which remained on the military airport in Shiraki have seriously damaged our health conditions. Many of us have cancer. Our children die of leukemia. Allergic and arterial diseases are widely spread in the area. Thus, do we need to have nuclear reactor in addition?“ people cannot help their astonishment.

“They state that if we need electricity we must support the project. Only in Kakheti nearly ten rivers are flowing and let them build hydroelectric stations on them and supply us with electricity. But the government is not interested in it…Years ago, before Shevardnadze’s government they spoke about the construction of the nuclear reactor on Shiraki Valley. But the project failed and as far as we know Shevardnadze was against it,” said Tamaz Charbodashvili, Giorgi Davitashvili, Elguja Khutsianidze and others.

Experts give negative estimations to the construction of the nuclear reactor in Georgia. They say that similar projects will create not only ecological disaster but we will have some problems with international organizations because of it.

Otar Kiria, an Ambassador of the International Association for Pesticides in Georgia, thinks that the construction of the nuclear reactor is unacceptable neither in Kakheti nor in other regions. “When Bulgaria, Rumania and Eastern European countries were going to join European unions, they were definitely declared to stop all kind of similar projects. Bulgaria’s membership was under serious consideration because 75% of their electricity was supplied from the nuclear electric station. The only thing that gave European Unions and Bulgaria chance to maintain the nuclear electro-station was their terrible experience of Russian electric blockade.

As for the construction of the Nuclear Reactor in Kakheti and particularly in Shiraki Valley it is completely impossible. The reason is unsettled climate conditions in the area,” said Kiria.

-What positive and negative outputs can the project have in the country?

Otar Kiria: “As a result of the construction Saakashvili will have new friends and Georgia will become the topic of international interest once more and it can be considered as a positive factor. Russia can be among our new friends because it has close friendship with France. In addition to that we must not forget that in Georgia only one large-scaled project was implemented for the last seventeen years –it was Baku-Tbilisi-Cayhan pipe-line and Shevardnadze is still being thanked to for the initiative.  So, Saakashvili also desires to receive similar awards. Unfortunately, environment has never been the priority of similar projects. As for negative sides, it is impossible to list all of them. The principal question is the threat, more exactly list of threats –for example upcoming disaster, military security –or militarization of the reactor and using it with this purpose and it create the ground for the conflict. As for military-political threats, Iran already threatens those countries who cooperate with the USA. We must not forget Russian aggression against American nuclear and military initiatives in Eastern Europe. There is also a biological security-who can guarantee that the Uran, which is the main source for the nuclear energy, will never remain without control and will not be imported to Georgia in chaos. There is also pure political and defense problem-we have declared that we are pro-American country and our friendship with France, a country with close relationship with Russia, will challenge a lot of questions in Washington,” said Kiria.

Experts say that if we speak about lack of energy, Georgia can work on energy-security through following sources-wind, water, Enguri River, etc. “What is the difference between importing electricity from Russia and importing the Uran from the same country which is necessary for future reactor?” asked Kiria.

Representative of the international organization draws our attention to the Orhus Convention which Georgia has joined and on basis of it we can appeal against the project.

“We have a chance to win the process when we oppose the project which is that much dangerous for the environment,” said the expert.

If they finally decide to build the nuclear reactor, Kakheti population threatens with the protest demonstrations. “We will go out in the street. We will defend our territory till the last breath and will do our best to avoid our future generation this disaster. We want the government to hear our loud statements that neither special units nor tanks will threaten us and we will not let them start project,” said people.

Gela Mtivlishvili, Kakheti

News