Only foreigner to visit Jaitapur says he did not instigate villagers

The Finnish national,who is now based in Jakarta,had in 2009 campaigned against Finland importing French technology to build a nuclear power plant in Olkiluoto. Areva of France has signed a deal with the Nuclear Power Corporation of India to build two 1,650 MW reactors in Jaitapur. The project will eventually be scaled up to six reactors with a total capacity of 9,900 MW. But the project is being opposed by some locals,backed by environmental activists,who say the nuclear plant will damage the fragile Konkan ecology and hurt their livelihood.

Myllyvirta told The Indian Express by e-mail that he had indeed visited Jaitapur last year along with a team of Indian Greenpeace activists as he had firsthand experience of the controversial Finnish project which is using the same European Pressurised Reactor (EPR) technology as Jaitapur. “I visited Jaitapur to see,learn and understand,not to agitate. I stayed for less than 24 hours. I was not a part of any protests,” wrote Myllyvirta.

Asked if he felt that the Chief Minister was referring to him when he spoke of a “European man showing videos”,Myllyvirta replied: “I cannot tell you what the Chief Minister of Maharashtra is referring to,only he can answer that question for you. I cannot read his mind. However,I find it silly to link me to the Chief Minister’s comments — after all,the protests and opposition to the nuclear plant in Jaitapur started at least a year before my arrival in India.”