Greece should not follow in Turkey's footsteps if the neighboring country decides to revive plans to build a nuclear reactor, one of Greece's top nuclear experts told Kathimerini yesterday.

Athanassios Geranios, a professor of nuclear physics at the University of Athens, said that the Greek government should not use Ankara's plans as an «alibi» to build a nuclear power station in Greece as well.

«Nuclear energy is not socially acceptable because it is not safe nor cheap and has close links with military applications,» the professor said. «Polls show that at least 84 percent of Greeks are against this.»

Geranios said there are a number of reasons for avoiding the production of nuclear energy, including the cost of safely disposing of nuclear waste and the dangers of meltdown and contamination of the environment.

The recently re-elected government of PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Turkey is thought to be looking to move ahead with plans to build three nuclear reactors by 2012.