29 Sept
2011
Power to the People: A Community's Fight Against the Largest Nuclear Plant in the World
 Vaishali Patil |
Ms. Vaishali Patil, Indian activist and international grassroots organizer, has led the charge for five years against the construction of the Jaitapur Nuclear Power Plant in the Maharashtra district on the western shores of India. Come and learn how this community banded together and became an organizational and strategic force against the big powers of government and energy corporations.
Sited on the shores of an ecological hotspot for marine life, a thriving fish industry and on a known and active fault line, the Jaitapur Nuclear Power Plant Project is poised to become the largest nuclear plant in the world and the residents of this community are fighting back in the face of violent crack downs, compulsory land acquisitions and corrupt government practices.
The Indian government has forcibly acquired 2,300 acres to build six nuclear reactors supplied by the French corporation AREVA. These reactors would utilize a fledgling technology known as pressurized water reactors. AREVA's first commercial installations of the technology in France and Finland, have been delayed by several years after the initial designs failed to meet safety criteria. The cost of energy generated is in dispute as is the benefit of the plant to India's growing economy.
Learn first-hand about the stories and strategies of the Campaign to Stop the Construction of the Jaitapur Nuclear Power Plant from Ms. Vaishali Patil during her visit to Vermont. Ms. Patil has worked as an activist in India for many years, previously helping women in their struggle to save their lands from corporate exploitation.
Venue: The Big Picture, 7 p.m. start. This is a free event and open to the public.
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