Two chimneys once used for a coal-fired power plant were demolished last Thursday in Romania, making way for the construction of a controversial nuclear power plant project.
Residents gathered to watch the implosions of a chimney and a cooling tower in the town of Doicesti, regarding 90 km northwest of Bucharest, Archyde.com reports.
The city might host a proposed new nuclear power plant developed in collaboration with the American company NuScale.
The proposal has raised concerns.
Residents as well as environmental activists from Greenpeace demonstrated in the city once morest the project on November 3, saying residents had not been properly consulted and the technology was unsafe.
NuScale and Romanian nuclear operator Nuclearelectrica say the project, if it goes ahead, would help Romania reduce its dependence on fossil fuels and create jobs for the local economy.
In addition to Romania, NuScale also wants to build factories in Poland and Kazakhstan.
Feasibility studies and initial planning for the development of the Doicesti plant were supported by more than $15 million in US government grants.
