VIPOTNIK: CROATIA NO LONGER HIDES INSIDIOUS INTENTIONS REGARDING NUCLEAR WASTE DISPOSAL

BANJA LUKA, SEPTEMBER 26 /SRNA/ - Croatia no longer hides its clear and insidious intentions regarding the construction of a nuclear facility on Trgovska Gora, which became evident following a statement by Saša Medaković, a member of the Managing Board of the "Krško" Nuclear Power Plant, the Minister of Spatial Planning, Construction and Ecology of Republika Srpska Bojan Vipotnik told SRNA.

Vipotnik stated that all of Croatia's previous claims that the facility was meant for temporary storage can no longer be trusted, and it is now clear that the country considers Trgovska Gora an ideal location for a permanent repository.

He reminded that the Ministry has repeatedly expressed justified suspicion regarding Croatia's ultimate intentions, given its non-transparent past policies concerning Trgovska Gora.

Despite the other side's ongoing obstruction of the entire process, beginning with the preparation of the Environmental Impact Study for this site, which has still not been submitted and fails to address the cross-border implications of constructing such a nuclear facility, Vipotnik emphasized that "our intentions are clear".

"We will not give up, first and foremost, on protecting our rights and opposing the construction of a nuclear facility in Čerkezovac. This should be clear to everyone in Croatia," Vipotnik said.

He emphasized that the Ministry is calling on the relevant BiH institutions, primarily the Presidency, the Council of Ministers, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, to act without delay and request an official explanation from Croatian authorities regarding Medaković's statement.

He explained that Medaković's statements, as a member of the Managing Board of the Krško Nuclear Power Plant appointed by the state, represent an official position and carry weight.

"We will inform the Secretariat of the ESPOO Convention about all of this at the upcoming meeting in Geneva," Vipotnik said.

Medaković told the Croatian newspaper Poslovni Dnevnik that low- and intermediate-level radioactive waste is stored at the Krško Nuclear Power Plant in an amount equivalent to what would fit in an Olympic swimming pool, waiting to be relocated.

He stated that the Slovenian portion will be stored at the permanent Vrbina repository located next to the plant, while the Croatian portion will be kept at a new temporary repository expected to be operational by 2028.