Rostov-on-the-Don Case Study

By Olga Deryabina and Mark Mamrykine (ECOLOGIA-International in Russia)
Edited by Laurel Kritkausky (ECOLOGIA USA)

ECOLOGIA strengthens public participation in decision-making about the construction of a nuclear power plant in the Rostov-on-the-Don region of Southern Russia.

Background

The building of the Rostov nuclear power plant (Rostov NPP) was started in 1979. Two VVER-1000 reactors were planned. The construction site is located 13 km (8 miles) from the cities of Volgodonsk and Tsimlyansk. This is against Russian NPP construction norms: a NPP should be constructed at least 25 km (16 miles) from the nearest city. Due to numerous public protests and an official statement of the City Council the construction was stopped in 1990, when the first reactor was 95% complete.

Several years later the construction was started again. It was initiated by Minatom (the Ministry of Nuclear Energy) and supported by the Rostov oblast government. Since 1998 the City Duma together with City administration and mayor approved a plan of competing and starting the NPP. Since 1999 the conflict between Minatom officials and the local public became as intense as it has ever been. In April 2000 environmental NGOs made a survey in Tsimlyansk, which showed that the public is against commissioning the NPP (98%).

At the present time (October 2000) the construction is close to 100% complete and Minatom plans to start Rostov NPP this year. The official reason for commissioning is a lack of energy in the region, but it is known that the station will participate in the Russian-American program to use weapons-grade plutonium as a fuel in nuclear reactors. The work is being funded from the Russian budget and the plant is being built by a local Rostov company.

Rostov NPP is located on the Don River on the Tsimlyanskoe resevoir, which is used as cooling pool for NPP. It is in the Rostov–on-the-Don oblast (region), 960 km (597 miles) south of Moscow.

The Nuclear Communities Project

The Nuclear Communities in Transition project, which began work in the Rostov region in 2000, is focused on:

• actively involving the general public in the wide use of legal approaches in opposition to Minatom's plans to complete Rostov NPP. For example, the Referendum Law enables a private group to sue local authorities if they reject an application for a local referendum. In June 1999 the local authority rejected the registration of a group which was organized in order to prepare a local referendum against the completion of Rostov NPP. Another example is the process against State Ecological Expertise, which approved the NPP project without taking into consideration the Public Environmental Review’s (an independent, officially registered expert analysis of the development plans) results;
• capacity building for local non-governmental organizations (NGOs);
• providing citizens and NGOs with access to information about local nuclear issues.

Local project partner

Our partner in the Rostov oblast and the city of Volgodonsk is one of the oldest anti-nuclear NGOs in the region: "Movement For A Nuclear Free Don." Its core activity is opposition to the nuclear lobby on both the regional and federal levels. The movement has a long history: it was formed in 1987, is widely recognized, and has strong support from the general public.

Sources

1. Reznikova.I.S. (editor). 1999. Velikoe protivostoyanie. Sbornik statei. –Volgodonsk, Movement “Za bezyadernyi Don”

2. Shalimov V.N. and others. 2000. Materialy expertnoy komissii obschestvennoi ekologicheskoi ekspertizy po proektu Rostovskoi AES (oficialnye dokumenty). – Volgodonsk, ZAO “VPO”

May 2001.
ECOLOGIA

Last updated: May 2001         Please make comments & report problems to the Webmaster