nuclear power

16 Devember 1999 - Japan's Industry Ministry (MITI) today said that no more plutonium-MOX fuel will be accepted from British Nuclear Fuels following revelations that quality assurance data cannot be guaranteed. This represents a fatal blow to BNFL's plans to open the unauthorised £300 million Sellafield MOX Plant (SMP).

Greenpeace warned today (25 th October 1999) that the Government's response to the House of Lords' Select Committee Report on Nuclear Waste Management leaves the door open to huge volumes of foreign nuclear waste remaining in the UK.

"Britain is going to be lumbered with huge volumes of radioactive waste if substitution is allowed to go ahead," said Greenpeace nuclear campaigner, Pete Roche.

Tokyo, 14 October 1999 - Following the Tokaimura nuclear accident, Greenpeace Japan has sent a letter of demands to Ibaragi Prefecture, the Science and Technology Agency, and the Health and Welfare Ministry today requesting the registration and long-term health monitoring of all persons present in the two kilometer zone around the accident site during the 20 hours it occurred

The demands are based on Greenpeace's investigation into the Tokaimura accident that concluded that official health checks were insufficient.

Tokaimura, Oct 4, 1999 - A public road close to the scene of last Thursday's nuclear accident in Japan has been reopened despite levels of radiation remaining well above background levels.

The Genken Road was reopened to the public after Chief Secretary to the Cabinet, Hiromu Nonaka stated: "We have confirmed that the radiation levels, even in the area 350 metres from the plant have returned to normal."

But measurements taken by a Greenpeace team on Sunday revealed levels of radioactivity to be five times background levels.

Commenting on the nuclear accident today at the Tokai uranium processing plant in Japan, Greenpeace said:

"The Japanese nuclear accident is a deadly reminder of the inescapable dangers of nuclear power."

"Japanese grasp of technology is world reknowned and second to none. But when it comes to nuclear power they are in the same boat as the operators of Windscale, Three Mile Island and Chernobyl. Mixing human fallibility and nuclear physics is not worth the risk."

Warns that EU Commission's weakness jeopardizes early shutdown of other dangerous reactors in CEE

Tokyo, September 28th 1999 - A cargo of deadly weapons-usable plutonium MOX fuel is expected to travel today through the pristine environment of northern Japan, through the Tsugaru Straits and past the island of Hokkaido, warned Greenpeace. The two British-flagged armed freighters, the Pacific Pintail, carrying some 225kg of weapons-usable plutonium in half a ton of MOX fuel, and the now empty Pacific Teal, began the three-day journey from Fukushima on Monday afternoon, bound for the Takahama nuclear facility in Fukui prefecture.

At around 5.30am today, amidst massive maritime security, the Greenpeace ship MV Arctic Sunrise bore witnesses to the delivery of the first cargo of weapons usable plutonium-MOX fuel to Japan from Europe. The fuel onboard the British flagged ship "Pacific Teal" arrived at the Fukushima nuclear plant on Japan's Pacific Coast. Carrying banners reading "Plutonium Kills" and "Plutonium = Destruction", the Sunrise was surrounded by 10 Japanese Maritime Safety Agency (MSA) ships carrying commandos in full riot equipment.

Today's revelations that BNFL falsified safety records on plutonium fuel threatens to cripple its future plutonium business. The first shipment of plutonium fuel (MOX) from Sellafield is currently only a week away from arrival in Japan but may now have to be sent back to the UK for additional safety checks. The Japanese Science and Environment body (MITI) has ordered that the safety checks must take place before the plutonium fuel is used. BNFL's Japanese customers are reported to be flying to Sellafield for urgent discussions.