Croatia denies nuclear plant

TIRANA, April 20 – Croatia’s Ministry of Economy last weekend denied reports that its country would team up with Albania to build a nuclear power plant.
That followed reports from the media that a contract on the deal would be signed by the end of this month.
“This ministry, and the Croatian government, never released any information that a contract for the construction of a nuclear plant would be signed by the end of April,” a statement said, signed by the ministry’s adviser and spokesman Tomislav Mazal.
“Incorrect and incomplete information in some Croatian, but also regional media, said that Croatia and Albania would sign a contract on the construction of the plant,” Mazal said.
He added that “experts can confirm that this would not be possible, since such projects are negotiated and planned for years”.
Mazal said that at the end of March, Deputy Croatian PM Damir Polancec was on an official visit to Albania when possible cooperation on building a nuclear plant in that country was discussed.
It was then, Mazal said, that the two countries agreed to, by the end of April 2009, sign a memorandum of understanding, and form a joint working group that would produce expert analyses to serve as a basis for future decisions on the project.
It was also stressed that both countries see the project as having regional importance, the statement said.
Mazal denied that his ministry ever released any information that the plant would be built or that it would cost 4 billion Euros.
“This is simply media speculation that cannot be backed up with a single document,” the statement concludes.
Media reports had said that Croatia and Albania intended to sign a memorandum of understanding for the construction of a nuclear reactor to produce electricity along Albanian’s Shkodra Lake, close to its borders with Montenegro.
Nuclear energy experts from the two countries were expected to be meeting soon to conduct the necessary studies for this mega project, which would be accommodating a large portion of the electricity requirements of the two sides.
The facility would produce 1,500 megawatts of electricity.
There has been no reaction from Tirana, apparently not pleased with the idea of a project that would still seem in its very initial stage of communication. The Tirana government is also not pleased to cover such an issue just ahead of the June 28 parliamentary elections.