Nuclear energy has no place in a safe, clean, sustainable future. Nuclear energy is both expensive and dangerous, and just because nuclear pollution is invisible doesn’t mean it’s clean. Nuclear power has proven to be technology with serious health and environmental concerns, for example these facilities have regular releases on low-level radiation, which can cause significant health problems. Russia plans to have 26 nuclear power plant units by 2030, seven of them are already under construction. The Kaliningrad Nuclear Power or also knows as Baltic Nuclear Power Plant is a nuclear power plant under construction 13 kilometers south-east of Neman, in Kaliningrad Oblast, Russia. The nuclear power plant will be bordering Lithuania and Poland. The location is in close proximity to Estonia, Latvia and Germany, one of the crucial trade partners of Russia. It is seen as a counter-project to the plan to build the Visaginas nuclear power plant in Lithuania. Baltic Nuclear Power Plant is the first Russian project that proposed the participation of foreign investors (with a maximum stake of 49%). It will also be the first Russian power plant to use equipment manufactured by western companies and also the first one to export most of its output to EU countries. A framework construction agreement was signed between the head of Rosatom company and Governor of Kaliningrad Oblast on 16th April 2008. Vladimir Putin, Russian Prime Minister at that time, signed the order for construction of the 2,300 MW power plant in September 2009. Ground preparation work started on 25th February 2010 and the first concrete was scheduled to be laid in April 2011, but it was delayed until next February. On 24th July 2009 in Neman were held public hearings of the construction and operation of power plant. About 200 residents who protested against the project were kept out by the police and were not allowed to participate in the hearings. Environmentalists pointed out the lack of protection against possible nuclear terrorist attacks and criticized hiding potential risks. Also environmentalists see a problem in the disposal of radioactive waste to Russia, because it may have to pass through Lithuania. The estimated radius of the zone planning for mandatory evacuation of the population in severe accident does not exceed 800m. It is still not explained how they are going to cool the reactor and how it will affect the river Nemunas and surrounding territories. On the 11th of September 2011 more than 500 citizens took part in a protest held in Sovetsk city. They signed an official letter to the President of the Russian Federation to cancel nuclear power plant construction. The protests couldn’t change the decision and they gradually ended. The project was suspended in 2013 after EU sanctions and for re-designing the project. After a brief brake they decided to continue with the project as it was first planned. The first reactor was planned to be operational by 2017 and the second reactor by 2018, with the cost expected to be around €6.8 billion (US$ 8.8 billion). The status of the power plant by date remains under construction and should be built by 2020.

Balti tuumajaam Kaliningradis

Tuumaenergia on kallis ja ohtlik ning sellel ei ole kohta ohutus ja puhtas tulevikus. Kuigi tuumaenergia saaste on nähtamatu ja võib näiliselt paista, et tegemist ei ole ohtliku saastega, siis nii see pole. Tuumaenergia tehnoloogia on tõestanud, et tegemist on tervist ja loodust ohustava faktoriga, näiteks tuumajaamad vabastavad regulaarselt madala tasemega radiatsooni. Venemaa plaanib aastaks 2030 rajada 26 tuumajaama, 7 neist on juba ehitamisjärgus. Kaliningradi tuumajaam, või Balti tuumajaam nagu ka kohalikud seda kutsuvad, asub Nemani linnast 13 kilomeetrit eemal, Kaliningradi Oblastis, Venemaal. Selle tulevase tuumajaama lähinaabriteks on Leedu ja Poola. Asukoha mõjualade alla kuuluvad Eesti, Läti ja Saksamaa, kes omavad tähtsaid kaubavahetussidemeid Venemaaga. Balti tuumajaama peetakse ka Leedu Visaginase tuumajaama järelprojektiks (sinna sooviti kunagi ehitada tuumajaam, kuid see ebaõnnestus). Balti tuumajaam on esimene Venemaa projekt mis kutsus välisinvestoreid investeerima (maksimaalse osalusega 49%). Balti tuumajaam on esimene Venemaa tuumajaam mis kasutab lääne firmade poolt toodetud varustust ning samuti esimene jaam, mis plaanib eksportida enamuse toodangust välja euroopa liitu. Esimene luba ehitise jaoks allkirjastati Rosatom’i tegevjuhi ja Kaliningradi Oblasti kuberneri poolt 16ndal aprillil 2008. Vladimir Putin, kes oli tollel ajal Venemaa peaminister, allkirjastas ehitusloa 2,300 MW-se tuumajaama ehitamiseks 2009 septembris. Ehitusala ettevalmistamine algas 25ndal veebruaril 2010 aastal. Esimene nurgakivi planeeriti asetada 2011a aprillis, kuid see nihkus edasi järgmise aasta veebruarisse. 24ndal juulil 2009 peeti Nemani linnas avalikku arutelu tuumajaama ehituse ja töökorralduse kohta. Pea 200 kohalikku elanikku protesteerisid kogu projekti vastu, kuid oma arvamust nad arutelul ei saanud avaldada, sest politsei ei lubanud neil osaleda protesti pärast. Keskkonnakaitsjad tõid välja mitu kriitilist punkti tuumajaama kohta, näiteks kaitse puudumine võimaliku terrorirünnaku eest ja kritiseerisid potensiaalsete riskide varjamist. Keskkonnakaitsjad leidsid ka järgmise mure jäätmete käitlemise kohta – kuna Kaliningradi Oblast on ülejäänud Venemaast eraldatud, tuleb jäätmeid tõenäoliselt transportida läbi Leedu. Samuti ei ole evakuatsiooni plaan õnnetuse korral korrektne. Venemaa ei ole senini andnud seletusi, kuidas nad kavatsevad Balti tuumajaama reaktoreid jahutada ning mis mõju see avaldab Nemunase jõele ja ümbritsevale keskkonnale. 11ndal septembril 2011 võttis aset järgmine protest Sovetski linnas, kus osales üle 500 inimese. Nad allkirjastasid ametliku palve tuumajaama ehituse lõpetamiseks Venemaa Föderatsiooni Presidendile. Protestid lõppesid 2013ndaks aastaks. Sellel aastal peatati ka ajutiselt ehitustööd projektil EU sanksioonide pärast. Kuigi alguses üritati projekti muuta, siis seda nad siiski ei teinud ja peale lühikest pausi jätkati vana rada pidi. Esimene reaktor pidi valmima 2017ndal aastal ja teine 2018. Projekti kogumaksumuseks arvestatakse ligi 6.8 miljonit eurot. Tuumajaam on tänaseni endiselt ehitusjärgus ja esimene reaktor peaks valmima 2020.

Location

https://www.google.ee/maps/place/Neman,+Kaliningradi+oblast,+Venemaa/@55.0293733,22.0022926,13z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x46e40cf6de3c495d:0xc4e76b5abe6c746a!8m2!3d55.0276261!4d22.026889?hl=et

 

Environmental impact

  • Air pollution
  • Water pollution
  • Depletion of natural resources (fossil and mineral, forest, water, etc)
  • Waste, waste disposal, and toxicants

Ethical/ legal issues

  • Life and personal security
  • Health and well-being
  • A clean and prosperous environment and a safe and pleasant habitat
  • Democratic participation to decision-making on community and national affairs

Information sources & materials

Online books and newspaper, magazine, encyclopedia, or blog articles

Official website of Baltic Nuclear Power Plant: http://baltaes.ru

Russian news thread on power plant: https://www.seogan.ru/stroyashiesya-aes/baltiiyskaya-aes/

Wikipedia (in Russian): https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%91%D0%B0%D0%BB%D1%82%D0%B8%D0%B9%D1%81%D0%BA%D0%B0%D1%8F_%D0%90%D0%AD%D0%A1

Environmental Justice Atlas on Baltic NPP: http://ejatlas.org/conflict/construction-of-the-baltic-nuclear-power-plant

Wikipedia (in english): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaliningrad_Nuclear_Power_Plant

Power Technology article on Baltic NPP: http://www.power-technology.com/projects/baltic-nuclear-power-plant-kaliningrad/

OSW, Russia Freezes construction on Baltic NPP, Marek Menkiszak, 2013 https://www.osw.waw.pl/en/publikacje/analyses/2013-06-12/russia-freezes-construction-nuclear-power-plant-kaliningrad

Links to images, online videos, documentary movies, etc

Contributor(s)

Diana Sell, BA student, Estonian University of Life Sciences

diana.sell @ mail.ee

Content repository

TypeFile NameDescriptionSize

jpg		Kaliningrad_nuclear_plant195.2k