An earlier request sent to officials of the Smolnenskoye District  in St. Petersburg by Bellona’s St. Petersburg office was turned down on the grounds that the new nuclear power plant fell into the category of a classified installation.

Bellona then sent a similar request to review the materials directly Sosonvy Bor officials and received a green light. Sosnovy Bor officials found no reason to secret the documents concerning the licensing of the construction of Leningrad Nuclear Power Plant 2 from the public.

Despite the decision of the Sosnovy Bor administration to let Bellona conduct an independent environmental impact study, Bellona will still appeal the decision of the Smolnenskoye District Administration in court.

‘Not the slightest impact’
A public environmental impact study of the materials forming substantiation for investing in the construction of the second Leningrad Nuclear Power Plant conducted by the Russian movement called The Environmental Movement of Concrete Matters concluded the plant’s construction would have “not the slightest impact’ on the environment.

The movement is headed up by Vladimir Grachev, who was also at the time of the impact study, the chairman of the State Duma’s Committee on Ecology.

“The expert commission considers allowable the forecasted impact on the environment and population that will result from the construction and operation of the Leningrad Nuclear Power Plant 2,” read the conclusions of the movement.

The Ekosphera organization had reached the same conclusion two months after to The Environmental Movement of Concrete Matters issued its positive appraisal.

The expert commission to be formed by Bellona will weigh the documentation that the institution commissioning the construction of the nuclear power plant provides as the foundation building it – Russia’s state nuclear utility Rosenergoatom.

Bellona today issued an official request to Rosenergoatom for all documents that are subject to an environmental impact study.