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Publicatie Laka-bibliotheek:
Nuclear Threat in the Eastern Mediterranean. The Case Against Turkey's Akkuyu Nuclear Plant (2000)

Auteur	D.Martin, Nuclear Awareness Project
Datum	juni 2000
Classificatie	2.25.0.00/01 (TURKIJE - ALGEMEEN)
Voorkant

Nuclear Threat in the Eastern Mediterranean

1. Introduction

This study surveys a range of issues relating to Turkey's proposal to build a nuclear 
power plant at Akkuyu Bay on the Mediterranean coast north of Cyprus. It is ironic 
that as Turkey considers purchasing nuclear power reactors from Canadian, European 
or US vendors, these countries have put their own nuclear power programs on hold.

The arguments being made by the Turkish state utility TEAS and its supporters in the 
nuclear lobby are simplistic at best. Without conducting a proper comparison of 
demand management and supply alternatives, they are asserting that a nuclear power 
plant at Akkuyu will be needed, and will be cost effective. There is evidence that it 
will not be needed, and there is proof positive that it would not be cost effective 
(see: "The Turkish Electricity Sector" and ''The Economics of Nuclear Power").

Then there are the safety and environmental concerns about nuclear power. In the 
post-Chernobyl world, it is shocking that the Turkish government pretends there is 
a "guarantee" against a catastrophic accident (see: ''Nuclear Reactor Hazards"). A 
review of the hazards associated with the CANDU reactor illustrates some of the risks 
of nuclear power. That is not to suggest that other reactor designs are safer. The level 
of risk associated with the Pressurized Water Reactor (PWR) designs offered by NPI 
and Westinghouse is roughly similar to that of the CANDU reactor. It is simply that 
the author is better acquainted with Canadian nuclear technology. Information is 
presented about the environmental impacts of CANDU reactors in the same spirit 
(see: "CANDU Reactors: Environmental Impacts"). Similar studies of environmental 
impacts for Westinghouse and NPI PWRs could have been conducted.

CANDU performance is another matter. There is no doubt that CANDU performance 
has been consistently worse than both Pressurized Water Reactors (PWRs) and 
Boiling Water Reactors (BWRs ), which are the world dominant reactors. (See: 
"CANDU: The Worst Competitive Reactor Design"). However, it is not intended to 
suggest that therefore Turkey should opt for the Westinghouse or NPI bids. While 
PWR performance is significantly better on average than CANDU reactors, similar 
safety, environmental, economic and proliferation concerns apply to PWRs.

Turkey has had a long-standing on-again, off-again love affair with nuclear power 
that began in the 1960s (see: "The Turkish Nuclear Program"). It has been Turkey's 
good fortune that it was unable to proceed with the proposals spearheaded by a small 
but influential band of nuclear technocrats. Many of the countries that opted earliest 
for nuclear power, such as the United States, Canada, and Germany, are now 
extricating themselves from their nuclear commitment at great cost. Historically, 
nuclear power needed massive state support to get started, and it has never delivered 
on the promise that it would be 'too cheap to metre'. In fact, nuclear power has been 
the single most expensive form of electricity generation that the world has known. 
In the new international era of de-monopolized electricity generation, the market has 
passed judgement on nuclear power, and found it wanting.

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