Source:
APBy SELCAN HACAOGLU
ANKARA, Turkey (AP) - Turkey plans to build a coastal nuclear power plant close to an earthquake-prone area, dismissing neighbors' fears that Japan's nuclear disaster shows that the new plant could be a risk to the whole Mediterranean region.
Greece and Cyprus say the move is a gamble that could cause catastrophe and want the European Union to scrutinize the EU candidate's plan in a debate fraught with political and historical baggage. Turkish officials insist the plant is safe and necessary to keep the country's strong economy going.
The EU is reassessing the whole 27-nation bloc's energy policy and questioning the role of nuclear power on a continent where no one can forget that Ukraine's 1986 Chernobyl disaster spewed radiation for thousands of miles (kilometers).
But Turkey is standing firmly by plans to build three nuclear power plants in the years ahead - including one at Akkuyu on the Mediterranean coast, close to the Ecemis Fault, which an expert says could possibly generate a magnitude-7 quake.
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Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot environmental activists protest against Turkey's plans to build a nuclear power plant on its southern coast near a seismic fault line, during a demonstration in the divided island's capital Nicosia, in this file photo dated Saturday, March 19, 2011. Turkey is pushing ahead on building a nuclear power plant close to an earthquake-prone Ecemis Fault area on the Mediterranean coast, dismissing fears from neighboring Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou who claims that Japan's nuclear disaster is a warning of the risks to the whole region.(AP Photo/Philippos Christou)