EU Civil Protection Team members are engaged in water drainage of Nikola Tesla thermal power plant (TENT) and open pit mines, Deputy Head of the Team Michael Felfernig said Monday.
“Our task is to work closely with Serbian authorities and help them make a better use of the EU aid,” he said after visiting Slovenian and German teams, engaged in water drainage of block A of Nikola Tesla thermal power plant and open mine pits of Kolubara mine by using high capacity pumps.
Before visiting the German crew – involved in water drainage of flooded open pits – Felfernig toured the TENT’s block A, where Slovenian civil protection team is engaged in power plant protection.
Slovenian Danijel Torkar said his country had sent a team of 47 people, out of which 26 are trained for water rescue. “We have four water rescue boats and two high capacity pumps at our disposal,” he said, and stressed that the goal was to protect Nikola Tesla power plant.
Slovenian team, together with TENT’s workers, struggles to keep the water from flooding the oil pumps, used for cooling power plant turbines, whereas their German colleagues are draining water from open mine pits.
Leader of the German crew Christian Ruff said his crew has been in Serbia since Saturday and is scheduled to stay for two weeks, but said there is a possibility of extending the stay in case Serbian authorities demand so.
We analysed the situation together with the miners. We are planning to stay for two weeks, then we’ll see if our assistance is still required. It is possible that we leave the equipment here, and replace the people, Ruff said.
Felfernig said that within the EU Civil Protection Team some 200 rescuers from EU member states – including Germany, Slovenia, Austria, Czech Republic and Croatia – are engaged in aiding the flooded areas in Serbia.
