Green Activists Beach at Finnish Nuclear Site
Date: 05-Apr-07
Country: FINLAND
Finland's fifth reactor, commissioned by utility Teollisuuden Voima (TVO), has been hit by delays and Greenpeace said safety has been compromised to catch up with the work and cut costs.
The environmental group said it wanted construction halted until the problems were ironed out.
Greenpeace said about 10 people had set out from their ship, Arctic Sunrise, and landed at the site on Finland's west coast before chaining themselves to the gates.
Rauno Mokka, deputy head of TVO, said police detained seven activists.
"They were protesting against the building of the Olkiluoto 3 plant," he told Reuters.
Greenpeace campaigner Lauri Myllyvirta said the group wanted to highlight safety problems.
"There have been efforts to bring down the cost and catch up with the delayed schedule at the expense of safety," Myllyvirta told Reuters by telephone. "The nuclear project had an unrealistic timetable and price from the beginning."
The Greenpeace protesters carried signs saying "French nuclear disaster", a reference to the firm building the plant.
Asked about the safety concerns, Mokka said: "We are familiar with these issues, which have been and will be taken care of ... We do not compromise on quality issues or technical requirements."
The 1,600 megawatt plant, which is the first reactor to be built in western Europe in more than a decade, was originally scheduled to start up in 2009 before being put off to the second quarter of 2010, and then to early 2011 due to slower than expected construction work.
The plant is being built by a consortium led by France's Areva and Germany's Siemens.
