COUNTRY STATUS REPORT: AUSTRIA
 

HISTORY
Austria's first plans to build a nuclear power plant began in 1960. Although the country had sufficient electricity generating capacity from hydro power it choose, like other countries, to enter the 'nuclear age'. From 29 locations, choosen as possible site, Zwentendorf (Tullnerfeld) was choosen altough it was not suitable due to geological properties. The geological investigation however was kept secret for 15 years. In 1970 the "Gemeinschaftliche Kraftwerk-gesellschaft Tullnerfeld" (Joint Powercompany Tullnerfeld) was founded as the future owner and KWU Siemens got the contract to build the 700 MW boiling water reactor.

At the start of first building work a little group of people demonstrated against it near the building site. But the government had not the same ideas as these first people from an anti-nuclear movement in Austria and made plans for more nuclear power plants. In 1974 plans for a second reactor in Stein-St.Pantaleon were made and was expected to have at least 3 reactors in 1990.

But in the mid seventies protest against nuclear power grew due to a growing anti-nuclear movement in whole Europe and Swiss plans to build a reactor near the Austrian border. 75,000 signatures were collected against the building of the Stein-St.Pantaleon reactor after which the government decided to withdrew this plan.

But in 1976 the Zwentendorf plant was almost finished and the government feared electoral consequences when it would be opened. The opening date was postponed till 1978 and a information campaign was started which also meant that anti-nuclear groups got the possibility to reach public by the media. The government was quite sure that a majority was in favor of the Zwentendorf reactor and decided to organise a referendum to legitimize its plans.

But on the fifth of November 1978 a small majority of 50.4 percent voted against nuclear energy. Zwentendorf was finished but could not start. Sevral plans were made for the completed buildings such as a recreation park or an education centre about nuclear energy. In 1985 a second referendum was proposed to reconsider the earlier decision but the necessary 2/3 in parliament to start it was not reached.

Finally in 1990 the decision was tooken to convert the plant into a conventional gas power plant. Five billion Austrian Schillings will be needed for rebuilding. Origanal building and maintainenance costs were 14 billion Schillings.
 

NUCLEAR WASTE
In the 1976 information campaign it appeared that the government had no thoughts about a solution for nuclear waste from Zwentendorf. Soon proposals were made to export highly radioactive waste to Egypt or Persia (Iran). Other plans were made to store it near the Czech border which resulted in protest from farmers.

After the referendum a waste storage for highly radioactive waste was no longer needed but a solution should be found for low- and medium radioactive waste from research and medical applications. 16 possible locations were selected for underground storage under which the site of the Seibersdorf research centre (i.a. IAEA), one of the main producers of waste. In 1992 4 possible sites remained but local opinion was against the plans. The Seibersdorf centre decided to stop research on underground storage due to expected local resistence.

The growing amount of waste was reduced with sending back some 6,000 drums to the originating country Italy. The Seibersdorf interim storage will store future waste till another site is found for a new interim storage.
 

THE LUCONA AFFAIR
This affair is often connected with nuclear energy altough it seemed later not true. In 1979 the ship 'Lucona' sank in the Pacific Ocean after an explosion killing 6 people. Udo Proksch, the owner of the cargo, also the owner of a famous Viennese confectioners', claimed 20 million US dollars from insurrancy saying it was loaded with expensive uranium tilling machines. Investigations started and fraud was suspected. The investigations were obstructed by politicians with important functions who were personel friends of Proksch. Finally several (ex-)ministers were sentenced. The ex-minister of Foreign Affairs was sentenced because of making (in cooperation with the Rumanian embassy) false documents proving the authenticity of the cargo. Two other ministers were dismissed becuase of obstructing the investigations. The minister of Defense, shareholder in the Proksch firm, had given permission to deliver explosives to sabotage the ship and commited suicide when that came clear. Proksch was finally sentenced for life because of murder and fraud. The US marine finally did research on the sunken Lucona and found the real cargo: not uranium till machines but old iron from coal mines.
 

FOREIGN POLICY
Altough Austria has four little research reactors its foreign policy is one of 'no-nuclear'. In the mid eighties the German reprocessing plant being built in Wackersdorf (Bavaria) led to massive protest. From time to time thousands of demonstrators protested at the building site among which many Austrians. In Austria 250,000 signatures were collected against Wackersdorf. The critical attitude of the Austrian government led to some confrontations with German politicians. The German minister of Inner Affairs Zimmerman even threated Austria that its critical attitude could lead to consequences on economic and tourist bussiness.

In 1991 the goverment started negotiations with (former) Czechoslovakia about plans to finish construction of the Temelin plant. These reactors are only 60 kilometers from the Austrian border. A proposal was made to stop finishing construction and provide Czechoslovakia with replacement electricity at no costs in worth of 3.5 billion Schilling. But Czechoslovakia decided not to shutdown the Temelin plant. Austria also protested against the other Czech and Slovakia plants like Bohunice and Mochovce.

Negotiations with the Slovenian government started in 1990 to shutdown the older western reactor in Krsko only 80 kilometers from the Austrian border. An investment of 7 billion Schillings was made to restructure the Slovenain electricity industry under the condition that Krsko will shutdown in 1995. An investigation on the safety of the reactor was made on Austrian costs which resulted in several safety measures recommended.

But hypocrisy of Austrian 'no-nuclear' foreign policy can be found in the 1992 contract with the Ukrain to import 10.8 billion kWh electricity till 2007 which also comes from the unsafe Chernobyl reactors. The import of electricity was delayed in 1994 due to electricity shortage in the Ukrain and problems with the transport.

Two Austrian anti-nuclear activists were killed in an attempt to blow up a high tension cable to protest the import of nuclear current. The bomb exploded to early and killed the two in May this year.
 
 

1995 for the Walk for a nuclear free Europe