We asked Greet Andriesse, chairman of both Petten Village Council and Petten Neighborhood Consultation, her view on PALLAS.
‘People here have pretty much always lived close to a nuclear reactor. You do not need to tell them about the possibility of an outage and the associated risks. We responded to the plans for the new reactor through the Petten Village Council as well as the Community Advisory Panel of which I am the Chair.
We did not want an overly iconic building in the dune landscape. And no air cooling, which requires cooling towers that would protrude far above the ground. We appear to be getting our wish, which is fortunate since most of the protests by residents were exactly about that. The residents are also expressly thinking about the impact on tourism, which is an important source of income for our village. We get primarily German tourists, who are not exactly big fans of nuclear plants.
We do agree on the benefit and necessity of this nuclear reactor. Producing medical isotopes for diagnosing and treating patients is essential. Alternatives, such as the Lighthouse Project and the production of medical isotopes using cyclotrons, have not been sufficiently tested. In my view, the ship has sailed on the entire discussion of whether this reactor should be built. The reactor will come, that is a fact.’
Source: Focus on PALLAS