THE STOP-START-STOP AKKUYU PROJECT.
Akkuyu is a small village situated on the Mediterranean Sea near the
cities
of Adana and Mersin in south -eastern Turkey. The proposed construction
of
a nuclear power facility has been surrounded in controversy. Successive
Turkish Governments in 1998 and 1999 have postponed in awarding the
contract to one of the three bidders- the Franco-German NPI ( Framatone-
Siemens), Atomic Energy of Canada (Canada) and Westinghouse(US).
There has been a lot of public pressure inside and outside Turkey from
various groups and politicians. They want to see this project cancelled
on
environmental grounds and to stop a potential nuclear arms race in
the
Middle East. Domestic political factors in the bidder's home country's
needs to be considered also.
The Ecevit coalition government has constantly postponed its decision
on
October 15 and December 31, 1999, February 1 and yet the latest February
29,2000 in awarding the Akkuyu contract. It is appears that a final
decision will be made sometime in mid -March 2000. Energy Minister
Ersumer
supports the development of nuclear energy as a way of increasing Turkey's
electricity capacity and supply. Over the past few months, there has
been a
shortage of energy generation, which forced the Turkish government
to
ration energy to consumers.
The energy shortfall was due to an unexpected loss of gas supply from
Russia in late November 1999. Turkey has been forced to import additional
electricity from neighbouring countries Bulgaria, Georgia and Iran
to
overcome the energy shortfall. Some groups in Turkey have argued that
the
power cuts were deliberately introduced by Ankara to facilitate the
introduction of nuclear energy.
There are politicians in Ecevitis, Democratic Socialist Party, who are
opposed to the introduction of nuclear power and believe that the whole
issue of nuclear energy needs to be re-examined. Ecevit's two other
coalition partners Devlet Bahceli, the Deputy Prime Minister and leader
of
National Action Party (MHP) and Mesut Yilmaz, the leader of the Motherland
Party
(ANAP) support the development of nuclear power. Some of the party
leader's
favour a particular bidder. Bahceli favours AECL whereas Yilmaz supports
Westinghouse. Ecevit has not stated his preference.
The three consortia also have Turkish firms in their partnerships-
Guris
and Gama Bayinder ( AECL), Enka-Mng ( Westinghouse) and Simko, Garanti
Koza, STFA and Tekfen
( NPI). The Turkish Electric Generation and Transmission Company (TEAS)
is
keen to award the contract to one of the three parties. It could be
argued
that the three sellers are lobbying the Turkish Government to make
a final
decision on the Akkuyu venture. Turkish President Suleiman Demirel
told a
meeting of industrialists in early December 1999 that " we are behind
in
nuclear technology" and " if we cannot make a decision on Akkuyu, then
Turkey will lose its credibility." One of the conditions stipulated
in the
contract by the Turkish Government is that the successful vendor will
be
required to finance the whole project. The delays on the part of the
Turkish government, mounting public opposition inside and outside Turkey
is
making the future of the entire project seem problematical.
There are environmental and anti-nuclear groups, scientists, engineers
and
politicians who oppose this project. The environmental organisation
Greenpeace has waged a strong and vigorous campaign in trying to persuade
the Turkish government to abandon the Akkuyu scheme. Greenpeace's Cyprus
representative, Irini Constantinou was concerned that the Akkuyu nuclear
facility would threaten Cyprus with radiation fallout " in the case
of an
accident or earthquake." To bolster its case Greenpeace commissioned
John
Taylor of the Centre for Resource and Environmental studies, Australian
National University in 1998 to conduct a scientific study into the
environmental dangers of constructing such a facility. Taylor's study
concluded, " ...It is clear from the model results that environmental
security considerations need to be taken into account when siting nuclear
power reactors in Turkey and the Middle East. To eliminate these risks
alternative sources of energy generation should be considered."
Greenpeace also quoted another study conducted by Turkish geophysicists
from Dokuz Eylul University's Marine Science Institute and a geologist
from
Keele University in England who, pointed out in 1991 that the Ecemis
faultline was next to Akkuyu Bay, the site of the proposed first nuclear
reactor for Turkey. It should be noted that the Adana, Izmit and Duzce
earthquakes of June 1998, August and December 1999 caused widespread
devastation and deaths in the south east and north west regions of
Turkey.
These earthquakes give further credence to Greenpeace's claims of
cancelling this controversial project.
The anti-nuclear groups Nuclear Awareness Project under David Martin,
the
Sierra Club and Campaign for Nuclear Phaseout of Canada oppose the
Akkuyu
project. Martin has published two important items titled " The CANDU
Syndrome" (1996) and Exporting Disaster (1997) outlining the risks
of
selling CANDU reactors to China, South Korea, Romania and Turkey and
the
role of the Canadian government.
There is also opposition to this project within Turkey. Aynur Sangria
Tuner, Anti-Nuclear Platform -Istanbul, Celal Besiktepe, Union of Turkey's
Chamber of Architects and Engineers and Professor Ilhan Taninli, Istanbul
University's Environmental department attended a NPI-Siemens Conference
in
Istanbul on July 22, 1998. They signalled their outright opposition
to the
project. The NPI-Siemens representative attempted to defend their safety
record. Professor Taninli was concerned at the problem of waste disposal.
In a speech delivered at Istanbul University in early December 1999,
Professor Tolga Yalman stated that Turkey did not need to develop nuclear
energy at all and this could be achieved "if
she used her energy potential." This meant that Turkey should consider
alternative and renewable sources of energy. Local people in the village
of
Buyukceli near Akkuyu are overwhelmingly opposed. They are concerned
of a
terrible accident happening and also being situated in an earthquake
zone.
In December 1999 there were protests held in Istanbul, Ankara, Mersin,
Izmir, Antalya and Adana against the Akkuyu project. Police detained
some
of the demonstrators in Ankara and Istanbul.
There are politicians who oppose the Akkuyu project. Jim Karygiannis,
a
Canadian Member of Parliament, has waged a very strong and active campaign
to raise public awareness on this issue. On November 8, 1999 an AFP(Agence
France Presse) report quoting the English edition of the Greek newspaper
Kathimerini mentioned that Karygiannis was concerned about the
environmental aspects of the project. He singled out the International
Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) that it should " exercise the moral courage
and
integrity to lobby against the Akkuyu site." He has also visited cities
in
Canada and USA throughout 1999 to address audiences on this issue.
Even Cyprus President Spyros Kyprianou was reported by the Cyprus News
Agency on December 2, 1999 of having sent a letter to European Union
and
regional leaders "urging them to exert their influence so that Turkey
abandons its decision."
In 1998 and 1999 Greek politicians Elizabeth Papazoi, the Minister for
the
Aegean, Akis Tzohatzopoulos, the Defence Minister and Theodoros Pangalos,
the Greek Foreign Minister before being replaced by George Papandreou,
had
two concerns about the proposed Akkuyu facility. Firstly they were
worried
that a nuclear accident would threaten the environment and reduce tourism.
Secondly Turkey would gain the technology to eventually construct a
nuclear
device. Several weeks before his untimely death in September 1999,
Associated Press quoted Yannos Kranidiotis, the Greek Foreign Undersecre
tary, on August 18 of having told private Flash radio that " We are
determined to fight this (project) which would threaten the entire
region."
Over the last 6 months the Greek political leadership has remained
silent
on this issue. The Greek Prime and Foreign Ministers and their Turkish
counterparts have recently visited each other in Athens and Ankara
respectively. The relations between Athens and Ankara have markedly
improved since the earthquakes that rocked both countries in August,
September and November last. Though differences still exist over Cyprus
and
the Aegean.
The domestic politics in Germany, France, Canada and USA where the vendors
originate need to be considered. In Germany, the Social Democratic
-Green
Party alliance nearly brought them to point of rupture in 1999 over
the
question of phasing out nuclear energy. After some hard bargaining
on the
part of the Greens, it was agreed that nuclear power would be phased
out
over the next 30 years. Even in France, the Socialists under Premier
Lionel
Jospin are dependent on the support of the Greens in the French Chamber.
Framatone, the French public company and Siemens have recently
merged
their nuclear operations making it largest firm of nuclear power plants
in
the world.
On January 20, Nucleonics Week reported that the German government would
not back the Siemens bid for the Akkuyu project. Hermes, Germany's
Export-Import Bank would not provide the necessary export credits which
would greatly damage NPI's bid to supply a 1,300 MW reactor to Turkey.
Obviously Siemens would not happy with the decision of the German
Government and might instead seek export credits from the French
Government. Should such a scenario eventuate, it could undermine Jospin's
coalition administration. After all there is a very strong anti-nuclear
public sentiment in many of the European Union nations. The Chernobyl
disaster of 1986, the recent nuclear accident in Japan and the forging
of
documents in Britain come to mind.
The AECL bid has been surrounded in controversy. Canadian Prime Minister
Jean Chretien has been criticised by environmental and anti-nuclear
groups
and the media in the manner which his government handled the sale of
CANDU
reactors to China, Korea and potential deal with Turkey under the veil
of
secrecy. According to Canadian press reports, the government may have
broken its own environmental laws. Foreign CANDU sales have to meet
the
strict environmental laws, before approval is given by the Federal
government to provide the necessary export credits through Export
Development Corporation. Chretien visited Turkey in mid- November several
days after the Duzce earthquake and actively promoted the AECL bid
for the
Akkuyu project. He was rightly criticised by the Canadian media for
his
action. The Sierra Club has taken the Canadian government to the Federal
Court of Canada arguing that it violated its own rules over the CANDU
reactor sale to China. This matter has dragged on for the past two
years
without an appearance of the Federal government to answer the allegations
of the Sierra Club in court. It appears that this is matter will continue
for sometime to come.
The Westinghouse tender may not succeed as it is regarded as the dearest
bid. However the Turkish newspaper Milliyet reported in December 1999
that
US Vice President Al Gore had written to Ersumer asking him to accept
the
Westinghouse bid. Should this report prove to be correct, then Gore's
credentials as an environmentalist will be in tatters.
The US Export-Import Bank has provided some export credits to Westinghouse
and Bechtel (a partner with AECL) for the Akkuyu project. The US Energy
Secretary Bill Richardson and US business leaders would probably promote
and support this project as it may further open business investment
opportunities for US firms in south -eastern Turkey. It is interesting
that
Richardson visited Turkey the day after the Izmit earthquake on August
18
last to discuss the Baku-Ceyhan oil and Caspian Sea gas pipelines with
Turkish officials. It may be inferred that the future of Akkuyu and
nuclear
energy in general may have been discussed.
In conclusion the Turkish government so far has vacillated in making
a
final decision due to internal and external opposition to the project.
Environmental and anti-nuclear organisations are using the Internet
as a
tool of communication to spread the message of the dangers in constructing
the Akkuyu facility. They are also mobilising public opinion inside
and
outside Turkey against it. There could be political leaders lobbying
the
Turkish government to award the contract to one of their own firms.
STAVROS STAVRIDIS
HISTORIAN/ RESEARCHER
GREEK-AUSTRALIAN ARCHIVE
RMIT UNIVERSITY
MELBOURNE AUSTRALIA
Email HYPERLINK mailto:stavros@mars.eu.rmit.edu.au
stavros@mars.eu.rmit.edu.au