From: rich@pencil.cs.missouri.edu (Rich Winkel)
Subject: Cuba Halts Nuclear Plant Construction
Followup-To: alt.activism.d
Originator: rich@pencil.cs.missouri.edu
Organization: PACH
Date: Sun, 6 Sep 1992 21:42:46 GMT

/** reg.cuba: 171.0 **/
** Topic: Cuba Halts Nuclear Plant Construct **
** Written 10:46 pm  Sep  5, 1992 by awhitworth in cdp:reg.cuba **
Cuba Halts Nuclear Plant Construction
-------------------------------------
by Karen Lee Wald, Havana

The Cuban government has decided to halt construction of the
multi-million dollar nuclear energy plant it has been building, with 
Soviet aid, since the 1970s. Although the decision was based 
entirely on economic realities, environmentalists are looking at 
this as just one more way in which, ironically, economic scarcity is 
turning Cuba into a model of ecological development.

Cuban President Fidel Castro announced the indefinite halt in 
construction at a major speech belatedly commemorating the July 26, 
1953 initiation of revolutionary struggle in Cuba. The traditional 
July 26 celebration was postponed because President Castro was out 
of the country attending the Ibero-American summit meeting in Spain 
at the time. It was re-scheduled to be held in the south-central 
city of Cienfuegos, where a popular uprising in support of the 
rebels led by Fidel took place on September 5, 1957.

Cienfuegos was chosen because of the "extraordinary work carried out 
by the population" there and the concrete advances they carried out 
despite the economic crisis the country is facing. But Cienfuegos is 
also the site of Cuba's first attempt to overcome its fuel shortage 
by developing what they hoped would be safe and clean nuclear energy.

Although many friends outside of Cuba warned of the dangers inherent 
in nuclear development (even for peaceful use), Cubans -- pushed by 
the necessity of maintaining their economy with no oil of their own 
or rivers to provide hydroelectric power --tended to turn a blind 
eye to the potential risks. They long argued that  the architectural 
design of their plant was patterned after ones in other countries 
that have run for years with no mishaps, and is completely 
dissimilar to that of plants which have had major accidents such as 
Three Mile Island and Chernobyl. 

Regarding the problem of nuclear waste disposal, the attitude was: 
"By the time the medium-range solutions have worn out, science will 
have discovered the long-term solution."

So it was economics, rather than environmental enlightenment, that 
led to the decision to halt construction, after years of work, 
thousands of workers trained in this field, and millions of Cuban 
pesos and Russian rubles had been invested in it. The explanation 
that Fidel Castro gave -- first to the workers involved, who will 
all be relocated, then to the crowd gathered for the July 26/Sept.5 
speech -- was that it would be years before the nuclear plant would 
provide energy to light even one lightbulb, and the Cuban people 
have pressing needs here and now. The construction workers -- the 
majority of the workforce of the plant -- will be reassigned to 
build hotels and other tourists facilities in Varadero Beach and 
surrounding cays and islets. Tourism has the attraction of bringing 
in immediate hard currency Cuba can use to meet its many other needs 
-- including paying for the oil it needs to provide electricity as 
well as transportation.

But the result is the same, in ecological terms: there will be no 
nuclear plant in Cuba in the foreseeable future. This is added to 
the fact that the Cuban government decided to meet the oil shortage 
in part by providing bikes to the whole population, to reduce the 
need for combustion burning cars and trucks; that biological methods 
have been substituted for chemical pesticides; that herbal medicine, 
acupuncture and other non-chemical health procedures have greatly 
proliferated over the past two years; and that the entire population 
has become enormously energy-conscious. No one would wish an 
economic crisis on any country, and much less when it comes as the 
result of 30 years of US economic blockade and the disintegration of 
most of the world's socialist countries (which are currently in 
chaos). But if economic crisis occurs, most ecologists agree that 
Cuba has chosen the ideal way to confront it.

(ref.: kwald%tinored@web.apc.org Sat Sep  5 21:43:40 1992)
** End of text from cdp:reg.cuba **

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