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THE ECEMIS FAULT LINE AND THE POTENTIAL FOR A NUCLEAR CATASTROPHE
AT AKKUYU BAY
Introduction
The proposed site of Turkey's first nuclear power plant, Akkuyu Bay,
is situated next to the
Ecemis fault line. A 1991 scientific study concluded that the Ecemis
fault is active1. Additional
studies have also shown that Akkuyu is an area where large earthquakes
have occurred, and
could occur again in the near future2. Despite this, the Turkish
Government has said it will
announce which consortium has won the contract to build the Akkuyu Bay
reactors in the next
month, and begin construction next year.
This is totally unacceptable. Building a nuclear reactor next to an
active fault line is inviting
disaster. In the light of evidence that the Ecemis fault is active,
the planning process for the
Akkuyu Bay reactors must be halted immediately. No further progress
should be even be
considered until comprehensive studies of the Ecemis fault have be
undertaken.
Ultimately, though, the existence of the Ecemis fault is one more compelling reason why the Turkish Government should abandon its nuclear power program.
The Ecemis fault line
The Ecemis fault line is only 25kms from Akkuyu Bay. The Turkish
utility, TEAS, which
owns the Akkuyu site and will own the nuclear reactors if they are
built, has always
maintained that the Ecemis fault is inactive. Yet their evidence for
this claim is a report done in
1989 by engineers - not geologists or seismologists.
TEAS's claim is directly contradicted by a 1991 study by Turkish
geophysicists from Dokuz
Eylul University's Marine Sciences Institute and a geologist from the
University of Keele in
England. The study's conclusion was unambiguous:
"Ecemis Complex is an active fault..."3.
Thus, according to this report, a nuclear reactor built at Akkuyu Bay
would be next to an
active fault line.
In late May 1998 a "Ecemis Fault Line" workshop at the Nigde University also concluded that the northern part of the Ecemis Fault was active, classifying this region as most seriously prone to earthquakes. The group of experts also warned that the southern part of the Fault, which runs past Akkuyu Bay, should be subject to extensive investigation to gather more evidence on whether it too is active.
To consider building a reactor at Akkuyu Bay while this issue remains
unresolved is criminally
negligent. An active fault line has the potential to critically damage
a nearby nuclear reactor
leading to a catastrophic release of radioactivity. This is explicitly
recognised in the
International Atomic Energy Agency's document "Basic Safety Principles
for Nuclear Power
Plants". The document states:
"Of the extreme external hazards, seismic events receive special
attention owing to the
extent to which they can jeopardize safety. A nuclear power plant is
protected against
earthquakes in two ways: [one of which is] by siting it away from
areas of active
faulting....."[emphasis added] 4
The Akkuyu site is only 25kms from the Ecemis fault.
Seismic hazards
Adding to the concern about the Ecemis fault is the evidence of
seismic activity in the Akkuyu
region. In 1993 a report, "Seismic Hazard in Turkey", concluded that
earthquakes with an
intensity of greater than 8 are possible in the Akkuyu region5. A 1997
report by a Canadian
seismological consultant came to a similar conclusion, warning:
"There is a probability of 50% that an earthquake of magnitude 7 Richter or more will occur within 100 kms of Akkuyu Bay within the next 40 years"6.
The report also noted that such an earthquake had already happened near Akkuyu. In 1872 an earthquake of magnitude 7.5 hit the region.
Hypocrisy and double-standards In Germany recently the Muelheim-Kaerlich nuclear reactor had its license revoked because the risk posed by earthquakes hadn't been properly investigated; a clear recognition of the dangers involved. Yet the German Government is now helping to finance Siemens' bid to build a nuclear reactor at Akkuyu Bay, despite a similar lack of information on the dangers posed by the Ecemis fault. This is a blatant double standard.
The companies that are hoping to build Turkey's first nuclear
reactors, such as Westinghouse,
Siemens, and Atomic Energy of Canada (Ltd), and the Governments that
will help finance
their bids, are being grossly irresponsible. A site like Akkuyu Bay
would never be licensed in
their countries without extensive investigations of the Ecemis fault.
Yet they are prepared to go
ahead with the Akkuyu Bay reactors, and put their profits ahead of the
health and safety of the
Turkish people.
Conclusion
Building a nuclear reactor in a fault zone or in an area of seismic
activity greatly increases the
risk of a catastrophic accident that could spread radioactive
contamination over Turkey,
Cyprus and the Middle East7. It is totally unacceptable that the
technical evaluation of the bids
is completed and a contract winner is about to be announced, yet this
critical issue has not
been resolved. Greenpeace is calling on the Turkish Government to halt
the bidding process
immediately. At the very least, comprehensive investigations of the
Ecemis fault must be
undertaken before even considering the building of a nuclear reactor
at Akkuyu Bay. To do
otherwise is to invite disaster.
NOTES:
1) Gokcen, S.L, Kelling, G., Ulug, A., Gokcen, N. & Ozel, E., "Neotectonic Structural Features in the Alanya Gokcen, S.L, Kelling, G., Ulug, A., Gokcen, N. & Ozel, E., "Neotectonic Structural Features in the Alanya - Mersin Shelf Area (Southern Turkey)", 1991.
2) Gulkan, P. & Yucemens, M.S., "Seismic Hazard in Turkey", 1993, and Buckthought, K. Dr., "Risk Analysis for Akkuyu Bay, Turkey, November 1997
3) ibid.
4) IAEA, "Basic Safety Principles for Nuclear Power Plants", Safety Series No. 75-INSAG-3, 1988.
5) Gulkan, P. & Yucemens, M.S., op cit., 1993.
6) Buckthought, K. Dr., op. cit., November 1997.
7) In 1998 Greenpeace commissioned a computer modeling study which shows how radioactivity could spread in the event of an accident at the proposed Akkuyu Bay nuclear power plant. To view it, go to Greenpeace International's website at
http://www.greenpeace.org/~nuclear/reactor/turkey/
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