Power plant build to be re-evaluated
ANTI-nuclear campaigners in the TRNC have hailed a Turkish court ruling that they say has put a halt to plans to build a power plant just 90km away from Cyprus.
An appeals court in Ankara this week overturned a previous decision by the city’s 12th Administrative Court, which had dismissed a challenge to the “preliminary licence” granted for the $20 billion project at Akkuyu, Mersin, opposite the northern coast of the island.
It means that legal arguments against the granting of the licence can now be heard in court.
News of the judgment was welcomed by Doğan Sahir, head of the North Cyprusbased Green Action Group.
“This horrifying and dangerous project has now been put on hold and the clocks have been put back,” he said.
“The courts have taken into account legal action by civil groups, listened to their legal viewpoints, and have decided that these can be heard . . . before deciding on the validity of the preliminary licence.
“We are therefore rejoicing at this development, even if it only temporarily stops the construction of this project. We believe justice has been served.
“We now want environmentalists’ views to be considered in the Turkish courts . . . We are back to square one!”
The power plant is to be built by Russian energy giant Rosatom and will have four units, each with a capacity of 1,200MW.
Mr Sahir added that the plant would contain “enriched uranium” that could lead to “very high levels of radiation” spreading across the region in the event of a disaster.
A press statement from the Cyprus Says No to Nuclear Power platform, of which Mr Sahir is a member, said: “The road has been opened for the courts of law to listen to the views and re-evaluate how dangerous a nuclear power plant is for the peoples of Turkey. This is a legal victory that may also have an effect on other such environmental cases.”
Mr Sahir said the organisation had begun organising a series of exhibitions around Cyprus and in the buffer zone to show the “negative effects” of nuclear power, in order to raise awareness of the issues and act as a “soft protest”.
The Turkish government signed an agreement to build the Akkuyu power plant with Rosatom in 2010. A launch ceremony took place in 2015 and permission was granted in October last year for limited construction work to begin, with the plant expected to start producing power from 2019.