An earthquake in Croatia has sparked a conflict over the Krsko nuclear power plant

Despite numerous talks and requests from Austria, Slovenia has so far not wanted to shut down nuclear power plant Krsko. On the contrary, according to the Austrian media, Slovenia intends to extend the life of the power plant, and the construction of another block is also planned.

“The Krsko nuclear power plant, a plant from 1981, is designed to operate for a maximum of 40 years. Therefore, its work must be stopped in 2023 at the latest. We must not watch the extension of work with folded arms “, says the secretary for ecology of the Austrian province of Styria, Ursula Lakner.

She also says that the current earthquake showed once again the need to shut down the nuclear power plant, Austrian media reported to Tanjug.

“We witnessed horrific images from Chernobyl, but also from Fukushima. That is why we hope that those responsible in neighboring Slovenia will give up their intentions to extend the work of Krsko, “she underlined.

The Greens of Styria also support this position and estimate that the obsolete nuclear power plant in the neighborhood has no future.

“The planned extension of work until 2043 is an unacceptable risk,” the head of the Greens’ parliamentary club, Sandra Krautvasl, emphasized.

She pointed out that so far no nuclear power plant has worked for so long, and Krsko already has big shortcomings today.

The Krsko nuclear power plant temporarily stopped working due to the earthquake in the vicinity of Petrinja, 80 kilometers away from the power plant, but it was later turned on again because there was no damage. Austrian officials demanded the closure of Krsko even after the earthquake in Zagreb, which happened in March. The president of the Austrian province of Carinthia, which borders Slovenia, Peter Kaiser, then pointed out the citizens’ concern over the Krsko nuclear power plant, which is located in the seismic area.

“I hope that there will not be a catastrophe and thousands of victims before European politics realizes that its priority is to protect citizens, and not sacrifice their health for the sake of the interests of any concern,” Kaiser said.

Source: sputniknews.com