News leaks perplex Czech nuclear plant officials

Jun 20, 2006, 10:06 GMT

Prague - Officials at a controversial nuclear plant in the Czech Republic are scratching their heads over regular leaks of sensitive information to environmental groups, a report said Tuesday.

'So far we haven't succeeded in finding out who actually is releasing this internal information,' Temelin plant spokesman Milan Nebesar told the newspaper Lidove noviny.

The mysterious leaks have worsened Temelin's reputation as one of Europe's most problem-prone atomic stations, and strained relations between Czechs and their Austrian neighbours whose border lies just 60 kilometres from the plant.

Much of the information reaches the Czech group South Bohemian Mothers who, with Austrian groups, has been fighting the plant since before it was launched in 2000.

In April, the group published photos of one of the plant's two reactors to show its poor condition after a May 2005 leak of acidic coolant.

Temelin officials confirmed the coolant leak but said it was contained and posed no threat.

Another problem with a safety system was officially confirmed last week shortly after it was publicized by environmentalists.

Environmentalist Monika Wittingerova said the information arrives by anonymous email or post before being released to the public.

'We are satisfied with informing people who are already fed-up with the suppression (of information) at Temelin,' she said.

Opponents say the twin-reactor plant is dangerous because of its Soviet-era design, but the state-owned utility CEZ says it was safely retrofitted with western controls.