Temelin Nuclear Power Plant, Czech Republic releases 1,000 liters of radioactive water

[Ian David]

About 1,000 liters of radioactive water leaked at a nuclear power plant near the border with Austria — the second such accident in a week, a plant official said Wednesday.

The leak occurred Tuesday in a unit shut down for fuel replacement, said Milan Nebesar, a spokesman for the Temelin plant. He said the water leaked into a special tank and did not contaminate the environment.

"The water leaked during a compression test," Nebesar said, adding that a burst sealing may have caused the leak.ast Tuesday, some 2,000 liters of radioactive water leaked from the same unit because of an open valve. The accident at the plant just 60 kilometers (35 miles) from the Austrian border — during an official visit by Austrian Chancellor Alfred Gusenbauer — angered the Austrian government.

Austria and the Czech Republic have been at odds for years over the plant. Environmentalists in Austria have demanded that the plant be closed because of security concerns. "The operators of Temelin are not prepared to upgrade the nuclear power plant and are therefore breaking an agreement that is binding under international law," said Eva Glawischnig of Austria's Greens party. She urged the Austrian government to pursue legal action.

Czech authorities insist it is safe. Construction of the plant's two 1,000-megawatt units, based on Russian designs, started in the 1980s. The reactors later were upgraded with U.S. technology but suffer frequent malfunctions.

More:
http://hisz.rsoe.hu/alertmap/woalert_read.php?lang=eng&id=10233



See prior thread:
2000 liters of mildly radioactive water leaked from Temelin Nuke Plant, Czech Republic
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=116x14160

[Ian David]

1. Update: Temelin nuclear reactor leak prompts calls for lawsuit

dpa German Press Agency
Published: Wednesday March 7, 2007


Prague/Vienna- The second leak of mildly radioactive water
at the controversial Temelin nuclear power plant within two weeks
prompted Austria's opposition Wednesday to call on their government
to speed up work on a lawsuit against the Czech Republic.
Greens deputy chairman Eva Glawischnig urged the coalition to "at
last finalize the lawsuit against the Czech Republic, which the
government has delayed for weeks".

The two right-wing opposition parties Freedom Party (FP) and
Alliance for Austria's Future (BZ) also called for increased speed in
preparing the lawsuit.

Austrian environment ministry spokesman Daniel Knapp said the
lawsuit was "in progress".

"In view of this new incident within a few days, the safety
structure in the plant gives rise to serious questions," Knapp told
the Austrian press agency APA.

More:
http://rawstory.com/news/dpa/Temelin_nuclear_reactor_leak_prompt_03072007.html