Planning action: Frederic Hauge
Green fury at Shtokman nuke plans
Environmental group Bellona has called on Norway to put a halt to Russian gas monopoly Gazprom's plans to use nuclear energy to power the massive Shtokman gas development, in the Barents Sea.
Norwegian daily Aftenposten reported today that Russian sources confirmed the development would be nuclear powered.
"Norway must say that this is unacceptable," Bellona leader Frederic Hauge told the newspaper.
"In my opinion this is extremely serious. It must be completely unacceptable, both for StatoilHydro and the Norwegian state as main owner, to be part of such a project."
Hauge said he plans to lobby both StatoilHydro and the Norwegian Foreign Ministry to take action.
Russian nuclear power company Rosenergoatom is planning to upgrade a plant at Kola and has also started work on building the world's first floating nuclear energy plant, which should be ready for use next year.
"This will supply outlying areas with electricity but can also used at Shtokman," Aleksei Rybkin, the third secretary at the Russian Embassy in Norway, told Norwegian magazine Teknisk Ukeblad.
However, Hauge slammed the move, claiming they add to what he calls "nuclear insecurity" in the region.
"The plans to build a floating installation are, in our opinion, in conflict with international regulations. There is no doubt that the development of Shtokman, and StatoilHydro's participation there, gives increased input for the development of floating nuclear power. This is the last thing we want in the Barents Sea," he told Aftenposten.