Greenpeace said today that the Government's new strategy to reduce radioactive discharges into the sea was not good enough to protect human health or the marine environment. In 1998 the UK signed up to the OSPAR Agreement, for the substantial reduction of radioactive discharges into the sea and in doing so claimed it was no longer the 'dirty man of Europe'.
Greenpeace says the new strategy fails OSPAR and the environment for three reasons:
1. The UK continues to reprocess nuclear waste at Sellafield and produce radioactive discharges despite there being a viable alternative to reprocessing. OSPAR states called on the UK to immediately evaluate the non-reprocessing option in 2000, but both the UK and France refused (1)
2. The UK continues to keep BNFL's ageing and polluting Magnox power stations open. Radioactive discharges could be reduced much sooner if the UK were to close these stations now. (2)
3. UK Government has failed to mention in its strategy that it has left the door wide open to the building of more nuclear power stations in the UK, this will increase discharges. (3)
Greenpeace campaigner Simon Reddy said,
"This strategy shows that the UK is not acting in the spirit of the OSPAR convention but is actually undermining the agreement. For the Government and the nuclear industry it is simply business as usual."
"A proper strategy to clean up our seas would mean the immediate phase-out of polluting nuclear plants and not slavishly following BNFL's own leisurely timetable. If we want to shake off our dirty man of Europe tag we need to stop reprocessing nuclear waste at Sellafield now, close down existing nuclear power stations and abandon all plans to build new ones."
Notes to editors:
(1) At OSPAR 2000 a decision was passed calling on all OSPAR states to "implement the non-reprocessing option (for example dry storage) for spent nuclear fuel management at appropriate facilities". The appropriate facilities are the reprocessing plants of Sellafield in the UK and Le Hague in France. Both France and the UK abstained on this vote, all other OSPAR states voted in favour. The Decision was passed by a three quarter majority.
(2) The UK's ageing Magnox reactors are the most polluting of all its reactors. Closing these down now would greatly reduce the UK's discharges to the environment. Furthermore they are uneconomic.
(3) There are proposals to build up to 10 nuclear power stations. BNFL has said in its evidence to the Government Energy Review: "[I] If the current draft regulatory guidelines which give primacy to the progressive reduction in radioactive discharges are pursued, this would make any proposal for new or replacement nuclear generating capacity in the UK unsustainable" http://www.piu.gov.uk/2001/energy/submissions/BNFL.pdf page 28] A recent leaked Government report shows that the UK Government is seeking to undermine OSPAR in order to ensure new nuclear power stations are built.
