Nuclear Waste

New authority contributes to nuclear nightmare

Posted by bex — 3 November 2003 at 9:00am - Comments
The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) began operation in 2005. The Authority was originally proposed to oversee the UK's radioactive waste problem - mainly caused by civil nuclear industry activities.


Unfortunately, the role of the Authority has already been radically changed since it was originally proposed. The NDA is now continuing to oversee the operation of nuclear facilities which create nuclear waste - thus adding to a major problem. For example, the NDA runs BNFL's ageing, loss-making Magnox reactors, plus two spent nuclear fuel reprocessing plants and a MOX plant at Sellafield. This will mean an ever increasing bill for the taxpayer.

Article tagged as: BNFL, decommissioning, energy act, NDA, nuclear power, nuclear waste

Is Britain still the 'dirty man of Europe'?

Posted by bex — 13 June 2003 at 8:00am - Comments
In 1998, the UK Government promised a 'progressive and substantial' reduction of radioactive discharges from the Sellafield spent fuel reprocessing plant into the Irish Sea.


At the time of the decision, the UK's Deputy Prime Minister, John Prescott, famously declared "I was ashamed of Britain's record in the past but now we have shed the tag of the Dirty Man of Europe and have joined the family of nations".

Yet discharges from Sellafield are higher now than in 1998 and are set to double over the next few years (Find out more in Greenpeace's briefing paper on OSPAR and radioactive discharges from Sellafield).

Article tagged as: nuclear power, nuclear waste, radioactivity, UK

Government creative accountacy to subsidise radioactive waste industry?

Posted by bex — 4 July 2002 at 8:00am - Comments
On 4th July 2002 the Government published its White Paper Managing the Nuclear Legacy which contained plans for dealing with our worsening radioactive waste crisis that has accumulated over 50 years.

Article tagged as: energy review, government, NDA, nuclear power, nuclear waste, policy

Greenpeace challenge the Sellafield MOX plant

Posted by bex — 9 November 2001 at 9:00am - Comments
Sellafield nuclear plant

Sellafield nuclear plant

After a total of five separate public consultation exercises, beginning in February 1997, the Government has finally approved the start of operations at the Sellafield MOX Plant. The plant will manufacture fuel (made from mixed oxides of plutonium and uranium - hence MOX) for nuclear power stations using material recovered from old, exhausted (or 'spent') fuel rods. The MOX fuel will initially be manufactured for the export market and will be dispatched on armed ships or perhaps even by plane direct from Sellafield in Cumbria.

Article tagged as: mox fuel, nuclear power, nuclear waste, plutonium, sellafield

Greenpeace urges ban on plutonium cargo vessels

Posted by bex — 13 September 1999 at 8:00am - Comments
Nuclear waste transportation flask

Ten deadly nuclear cargoes of weapons-usable plutonium fuel are to travel from Europe to Japan each year via South Africa, according to a Reuters's story published today. In light of this information, Greenpeace urged all potential en route nations concerned by the risks associated with these shipments to redouble their efforts in opposing this and futue transports being conducted by European and Japanese nuclear industry.

The latest information comes as two ships laden with some 450 kg of weapons-usable plutonium, contained in 40 plutonium fuel elements (MOX), rounded the Cape of Good Hope bound for Japan early Friday morning (13th August). The ships are now believed to be in the South West Pacific Ocean heading for Australia, New Zealand and Japan.

Article tagged as: nuclear power, nuclear waste, peace, plutonium, proliferation, shipment
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