Slovakia’s Nuclear Schizophrenia – Shut Down, Continue As Usual, or Boldly Go - Where?

oilprice.com ^ | 04/01/2012 | John C.K. daly

[bananaman22]

The implosion of the USSR in December 1991 produced massive economic “collateral damage” in its East European allies, as they simultaneously sought both to assert their new-found independence and draw closer to their potential European allies on the western side of 1946’s “Iron Curtain.”

Following the euphoria amity quickly devolved down to practical issues, one of which was that the European Union was leery of welcoming new members after the collapse of Communism that relied on power from Soviet-era nuclear power facilities, especially in the wake of the April 1986 nuclear disaster at Chernobyl in Ukraine.

Accordingly, the last two decades have devolved into a series of unseemly squabbles between Brussels and new Eastern European members, with the EU demanding the prompt shutdown of Soviet-era nuclear power plants, while governments east of Berlin plead understanding and extended timelines to shut down the facilities that provide major electrical input as they search for alternatives.

The latest post Cold War post-Soviet space energy front line is Slovakia.

What to do in Bratislava on the way to becoming good, clean, green members of the European Union?

Shut down all the country’s nuclear power plants and win plaudits in Brussels while inflicting brownouts or blackouts on the locals?

Beg for more time?

Adopt a matrix of energy change which includes some nuclear power while appealing to Brussels? Full article at: Slovakia’s Nuclear Schizophrenia

[nuke rocketeer]

They could do what the Czech republic did with their VVER plant. Put a containment on it and modernize with digital control systems. The VVER plants are just small two loop PWR plants based upon Westinghouse 2 loop technology the Soviets got from France. They are not RMBK plants like Chernobyl.