The completion of Mochovce Nuclear Power Plant is probably nearing its definite end and Austrian politicians are worried.
The completion of Mochovce Nuclear Power Plant is probably nearing its definite end. It does not mean that we have eventually started to blindly trust managers of Slovenske Elektrarne who say that this is the final deadline (there were more than ten of them) every time they come up with a new deadline. Austrian politicians are raising nuclear alarm. They even managed to convince themselves that they are behind yet another delay of the completion of nuclear units announced by Slovenske Elektrarne in mid-April.
All people in the region probably understand anti-nuclear activities of Austrian politicians that have been lasting for several decades. Slovakia’s Prime Minister said that they had simply declared a holy war against nuclear energy. None of the Austrian politicians lost points in a fight against nuclear energy, on the contrary. However, they should realize that it is not respectful to bring politics into such a serious matter like nuclear energy is. It is necessary to point at potential flaws in the construction of the nuclear unit, but the arguments must be well-founded with trustworthy facts instead of the statements of offended Italian managers that we, unfortunately, let in the Slovak nuclear energy. Afterward, they have to present such arguments to several international or national institutions (there are many of them), that must simply take an action.
Austrian politicians could also be required to pass stress tests just like Slovak nuclear units after the catastrophe in Japanese Fukushima. They would at least be tested whether they understand the term nuclear energy. Maybe, at the end of the day, they would be surprised that they also use at their homes electricity generated, for instance at the Czech nuclear power plant Temelin.
In regard to the current debate on nuclear energy, we may tell a joke to our Austrian neighbors who we like undoubtedly (at least when shopping): Do you know what to do when a nuclear power plant explodes? Wrap yourself into a white sheet and walk slowly to a cemetery. Why slowly? Not to spread panic.
The author is editor-in-chief of the portal vEnergetike.sk.
