Greenpeace today welcomed the announcement by British Nuclear Group (BNG) to finally close the Chapelcross magnox nuclear power reactors in Dumfriesshire. The company has said the cost of continuing to operate the plant cannot be justified on a commercial basis.
"Some time ago BNG acknowledged all its magnox stations are loss makers, but continued to squander taxpayer money in keeping them open. BNG has at least now openly conceded that the balance sheet doesn't add up for Chapelcross any more," said Jean McSorley, Greenpeace nuclear campaigner.
"What we hope now is that BNG will apply the same financial criteria to the rest of its operations and close the reprocessing operations at Sellafield which are also uneconomic. In particular we're concerned that the company doesn't plan to close the magnox reprocessing plant, which handles waste from the magnox reactors, until 2010. Early closure of the remaining loss-making magnox reactors would means magnox reprocessing could end more quickly. That would be a win for the environment as 80% of Sellafield's radioactive discharges into the Irish Sea come from reprocessing magnox waste."
Chapelcross has played a key role in the UK's nuclear weapons program, initially supplying plutonium for weapons and later the designated site for the production of tritium, used as a 'trigger' in nuclear weapons. Its primary role for nuclear weapons, not for electricity, was only admitted in the 1980s. The other plant built primarily for weapons material supply was Calder Hall on the Sellafield site.
The Chapelcross reactors are the last remaining source of tritium production in the UK for nuclear weapons. It is not known where the Ministry of Defence will source this material in future.
Further information
Contact Jean McSorley on 07801 212 959 or the Greenpeace press office on 020 7865 8255.
Notes to editors
Chapelcross began electricity production in February 1959. There were four magnox reactors on site. Planned dates for closure of the Company's remaining magnox plants are: Sizewell A (2006), Dungeness A (2006), Oldbury (2008) and Wylfa (2010).
