[E-rundbrief] Info 1143 - Brazilian nuclear power plant - German credit guarantees

Matthias Reichl info at begegnungszentrum.at
Mi Sep 26 20:34:12 CEST 2012


E-Rundbrief - Info 1143 - Right Livelihood Foundation (S): Chico 
Whitaker warns of “nuclear two class society”. German government's 
export credit guarantees for companies involved in the construction of 
the Brazilian nuclear power plant Angra 3.

Bad Ischl, 26.9.2012

Begegnungszentrum für aktive Gewaltlosigkeit

www.begegnungszentrum.at

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Right Livelihood Foundation

Press Release, 16 August 2012

Chico Whitaker warns of “nuclear two class society”

For months, the German Government has been considering export credit 
guarantees for companies involved in the construction of the Brazilian 
nuclear power plant Angra 3. Now Chico Whitaker, a 2006 Recipient of 
the Right Livelihood Award (“Alternative Nobel Prize“), appeals to the 
German Government to abstain from further assessments.

“The German Government should not wait for further tests and 
assessments but should walk their talk in what they had announced 
after Fukushima: the German phase-out of nuclear power. The German 
stop on nuclear should also entail a phase-out of the support for 
international nuclear power. Everything else would mean a ‘nuclear two 
class society’: nuclear plants are too dangerous for Germans but not 
for the citizens of other countries.”

Angra 3 would be placed between Brazil’s two densest populated cities: 
Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paolo, in a region with high risk for land 
slides. Whitaker says: "In Fukushima, the minimum distance for 
evacuation was twice as high as the distance between the planned 
nuclear power plant and the town of Angra dos Reis.“

In February 2012, more than 50 Right Livelihood Award Laureates and 
members of the World Future Council had asked the German Government to 
stop granting export credit guarantees for the construction of nuclear 
power plants.

Ole von Uexkull, Executive Director of the Right Livelihood Award 
supported the Laureates’ appeal: "Germany’s decision to phase-out 
nuclear power echoed around the world and raised the profile of the 
country as an international leader in energy policies. If the German 
Government decided to grant export credit guarantees for Angra 3 or 
for other nuclear power plants like Jaitapur in India the German 
energy transition would lose all credibility.“

Chico Whitaker hopes that the German Government will reconsider its 
ambigous stance and calls upon the German public to ratchet up the 
pressure in demanding for a change in policy. "We hope that the 
solidarity of the people of Germany will help us to free us of the 
dangers of Angra 3“.

Background

In February 2010, the German Government basically agreed to 1.3 
billion Euro export credit guarantees for Angra 3 but the allocation 
is currently on hold. In September 2011, the commitment was continued 
on the precondition that an assessment of how Brazil reacts to the 
experience of the Fukushima catastrophe would take place. Till date, 
no positive assessment has been presented. French banks involved in 
the financing have requested further safety assessments, too.

Besides the guarantees for Angra 3, the German Government is 
considering export guarantees for several other nuclear plants, 
including the nuclear power plant in Jaitapur, India.

Over the years, Right Livelihood Award Recipients have come out 
repeatedly demanding an end to nuclear power. Already in March 2011, a 
global alliance of some 50 Right Livelihood Award Recipients and 
members of the World Future Council demanded a global nuclear phase 
out. The initiative inspired Right Livelihood Award Laureate Chico 
Whitaker to help build up a movement in Brazil aiming at the shutdown 
of Brazilian nuclear power plant Angra 3.

http://www.rightlivelihood.org/press_release_whitaker.html

Contact

RIGHT LIVELIHOOD AWARD FOUNDATION
Birgit Jaeckel, Communications Consultant
Phone: +46 8 70 20 340, Fax: +46 8 70 20 338
Cell phone: +49 170 24 49 348
info[at]rightlivelihood.org

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Matthias Reichl, Pressesprecher/ press speaker,
Begegnungszentrum fuer aktive Gewaltlosigkeit
Center for Encounter and active Non-Violence
Wolfgangerstr. 26, A-4820 Bad Ischl, Austria,
fon: +43 6132 24590, Informationen/ informations,
Impressum in: http://www.begegnungszentrum.at
Spenden-Konto Nr. 0600-970305 (Blz. 20314) Sparkasse Salzkammergut,
Geschäftsstelle Pfandl
IBAN: AT922031400600970305 BIC: SKBIAT21XXX

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Ausgezeichnet mit dem (österr.) "Journalismus-Preis von unten 2010"

Honoured by the (Austrian) "Journalism-Award from below 2010"






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