EMO: Dont Drag Turkey to a Disaster

The Chamber of Electrical Engineers, (EMO), said they object to plans to build a nuclear energy plant, brough onto agenda by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Energy and Natural Resources Minister Hilmi Guler. "Nobody has the right to drag Turkey into new disasters and to turn the country into a garbage dump for the nuclear plant market lobbyists," said EMO.

In a written statement, the chamber said Turkey did not need nuclear energy and added that those who wanted to build a nuclear plant wanted to create a market and a garbage damp for nuclear waste.

EMO responded to the arguments that the government needed nuclear energy, that natural resources would not meet Turkey's energy needs, that Turkey would become dependent on other countries, that Turkey has to take part in the technology race, and that nuclear energy is clean and safe.

The chamber said these arguments were misleadeing, and added it objected to the use of nuclear energy because of the following reasons:

* It is expected that Turkey's energy needs will reach 145 billion kwh in 2005 and 386 billion kwh in 2030.

* Our potential from natural resources reaches 482,569 billion kwh, when hidrolic, coal, wind, geothermal, sun and energy from other renewable sources are taken into account. Turkey's energy needs can be met through natural resources.

* Nuclear energy would make Turkey dependent on other countries as much as natural gas has. The government is not aiming at ending dependence, but at trying to vary it.

Nuclear plants are being closed down in the world

* The plan of building and selling nuclear plants is not realistic. If by nuclear technology we mean nuclear weapons, we do not need nuclear plants for that.

* Many countries in the world are now getting rid of nuclear energy. Countries like Germany, Sweeden, Belgium, Spain and the Netherlands, are either closing down their nuclear plants, or have announced they would not order new plants to replace those that expire. Thus, the argument that "nuclear energy is the cleanest and safest," is proven to be wrong.

* It has been found that nuclear energy is the most expensive, dangerous, and one that increases global warming and damages ecologic balance. (OG/BB/EA/YE)