AMIS DE LA TERRE - coalition BeleNE! - GREENPEACE - urgewald ENVIRONMENTAL ORGANISATIONS DEMAND BANKS TO WITHDRAW FROM START-UP FINANCING FOR DANGEROUS BULGARIAN NUCLEAR POWER STATION
Paris, 14 June 2007 - In talks with a group of environmental and watchdog organisations, the CEO of BNP Paribas yesterday dismissed responsibility of the French bank related to a 250 Million Euro loan for the disputed nuclear power station near Belene in North Bulgaria. BNP Paribas is syndicating this loan for 15 further banks, whose names it wants to keep secret until the signing of the contract. In an open letter the Bulgarian coalition BeleNE!, Friends of the Earth, Greenpeace and the watchdog organisations Banktrack and urgewald today warn international banks from participating in the loan. According to the environment organizations, Belene is one of the worst cases of nuclear planning worldwide. The meeting with BNP Paribas´ CEO, Badouin Prot, was sparked by continuing protests from all over Europe against the bank´s planned involvement in the Belene project (1). BNP Paribas, however, is determined to proceed with the loan and said that a deal would be signed "within a few days". Arguments on the risks of the project were met with indifference as BNP Paribas claims that the loan to Bulgaria´s utility NEK is a "general corporate loan" and would not be used for the construction of Belene. However, according to the tender documents on NEK´s website, this money is meant as bridging financing for Belene until a final financing model for the project is in place (2). This includes construction work, which according to NEK would start in September of this year. Heffa Schücking of the German organisation urgewald concluded: "BNP Paribas is trying to run away from its responsibility. With this loan, NEK wants to make a dangerous nuclear power project bankable. We therefore call upon BNP Paribas and the 15 other banks to stop playing games and open their cards: are they indeed willing to help finance an untested Russian designed nuclear power plant in an earthquake zone?" Albena Simeonova, a Goldman Environmental Award winning organic farmer from the Belene region and active opponent of the Belene nuclear power project since the late 1980s insisted: "The by BNP Paribas brokered loan gives the impression that this is a healthy project. The reality is that Belene is an environmental, safety and financial risk and was thus cancelled by the former Government in the 1990s." Simeonova, who faced death threats over her opposition to the Belene project in 2005, added: "Nuclear safety standards in Bulgaria are notoriously low and Belene is a high-risk project in an earthquake zone. It will endanger not only Bulgarians but the population in neighbouring countries as well." The NGO campaign against BNP Paribas has, however, already had an effect. Although the bank is determined to proceed with its loan to NEK, Mr. Prot promised that there would be no further financing of the project by BNP Paribas. "We will not participate in the private financing bid" were his words. As the Belene project will cost an estimated total of 5 billion Euro, NEK still has to recruit major financing in order to complete the disputed NPP. Sébastien Godinot, finance expert of the French Friends of the Earth member Amis de la Terre, commented: "It is clear that BNP Paribas has been caught red-handed and now realizes that this project is a risk for its reputation. While we welcome the decision of the bank to not give a second loan to the project, we call on it to cancel the first deal as well. " Jan Haverkamp, Central European nuclear energy expert for Greenpeace, added: "Up to now, 11 international banks have listened to our arguments and have turned down financing for the project. If BNP Paribas prides itself on being a sustainability leader, it should follow suit and not irreparably damage its reputation for a 250 Million Euro loan." Background: Friends of the Earth, Greenpeace, the Bulgarian coalition BeleNE! and urgewald / Banktrack met with BNP Paribas top management on June 13 to discuss its brokering role in a 250 Million Euro loan to the Bulgarian state utility NEK to finance initial project works for the disputed Belene nuclear power station in the north of Bulgaria. Belene is situated in a seismic active area where in 1977 120 people died in the nearby town of Svishtov on 14 km of the proposed nuclear site. It is planned to host two 1000 MW nuclear reactors of a new and so far untested Russian design. The organisations claim that preparations of the nuclear project were marred with manipulations and suffered under corruption. FOR MORE INFORMATION Sébastien Godinot, Amis de la Terre, tel.: +33 668 988 341; e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] (French, English) Heffa Schücking, urgewald, tel: +49 16 096 761 436; e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] (German, English) Albena Simeonova, BeleNE! coalition, available for interviews on Thursday 14 June in Paris over Amis de la Terre. After that, tel.: +359.888 215 268 Jan Haverkamp, Greenpeace, tel: +420.603 569 243; e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] (English, German, Czech, Dutch) NOTES TO THE EDITOR: (1) Over 7 000 protest e-mails were sent to the bank in the last two weeks. On 5 June, World Environment Day, there were protests in 15 countries with BNP Paribas presence, as well as in 20 towns in France. (2) For more information on the tender: http://www.nek.bg/cgi- bin/index.cgi?l=2&d=1245 (3) These include: Bayerische Landesbank, Citibank, Commerzbank, Credit Suisse / First Boston, Deutsche Bank, JP Morgan Chase, KBC / CSOB, Lehman Brothers, Meril Lynch & Co, Société Génerale / Komercni Banka, UniCredit / HVB / Bank Austria - Creditanstallt. http://www.nuclearinfo.ro Va e mai usor sa unsubscribeti de pe acest grup decat sa scapati de efectele unui prost management in domeniul nuclear!:-) Pentru legislatie si alte informatii utile, vizitati site-ul Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/nuclear-Romania/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/nuclear-Romania/join (Yahoo! 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