Long-term operation of Leibstadt nuclear power plant under fire
Published: Wednesday, Feb 28th 2024, 11:10
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Supported by environmental and anti-nuclear organizations, residents living near the Leibstadt AG nuclear power plant are demanding an international environmental impact assessment prior to its long-term operation. The residents are basing their demand on international environmental law.
The Leibstadt nuclear power plant is to go into long-term operation in 2024 after 40 years. The 15 local residents from Switzerland and Germany submitted an application for an environmental impact assessment and a public consultation procedure to the Federal Department of the Environment, Transport, Energy and Communications (Uvek) on Wednesday.
The Swiss Energy Foundation (SES), Greenpeace Switzerland and the Trinational Nuclear Protection Association (Tras) support the request, as they announced in a joint communiqué.
They accuse the Uvek of violating the Aarhus and Espoo Conventions with the long-term operation. According to the conventions, Switzerland would be obliged to carry out an environmental impact assessment and consult local residents before long-term operation, they claim.
The Federal Council reportedly took the position in 2021 that these requirements do not apply to Swiss nuclear power plants. As Switzerland does not have a lifetime limit, there can be no question of a lifetime extension.
According to residents and organizations, however, this clearly contradicts the spirit of the conventions. The Uvek is trying to smuggle an actual lifetime extension past the law and is thus undermining the democratic rights of the population to have a say.
The Espoo Convention of the United Nations (UN) stipulates that a country must assess the transboundary environmental impact of a facility and inform neighboring countries. The Aarhus Convention regulates access to information, public participation and access to justice in environmental matters.
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