plutonium

Government forced to defend itself in High Court over Sellafield plutonium plant

Last edited 10 November 2001 at 9:00am
10 November, 2001

Friends of the Earth and Greenpeace argue plant is not economically viable

The Government goes to court today (10.30 am 8/11/01) to defend itself in a joint legal action by Greenpeace and Friends of the Earth to prevent the controversial new Sellafield plutonium plant from being opened.

Article tagged as: BNFL, mox fuel, plutonium, press releases, sellafield

What is plutonium MOX fuel? The fantasies and the reality...

Last edited 10 November 2001 at 9:00am
Greenpeace campaign against nuclear power - Japan

MOX is made from a mixture of plutonium and uranium oxides and is used in nuclear reactors in Japan, Switzerland, Germany, Belgium, and France.

Nuclear reactors normally burn enriched uranium fuel. When MOX is used, around 30% of the enriched uranium is replaced by the MOX fuel.

Article tagged as: mox fuel, nuclear power, plutonium

What is plutonium?

Last edited 10 November 2001 at 9:00am
Plutonium mining

Plutonium mining

Plutonium was discovered in the US in 1941 when scientists exposed uranium to neutron radiation in the laboratory. Since they had given the name neptunium to the first element, which they had found that way, the new substance, was named plutonium after Pluto, the planet that follows Neptune in our planetary system.

Article tagged as: mox fuel, nuclear power, plutonium

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

Nuclear reprocessing, plutonium and nuclear weapons

Last edited 9 November 2001 at 9:00am
Publication date: 
9 November, 2001

Nuclear reprocessing was first carried out to separate plutonium from 'spent' nuclear reactor fuel - for nuclear weapons. All countries with plutonium-based nuclear weapons have reprocessing facilities.

Plutonium is the most highly prized material for making nuclear weapons. It has only existed in the environment since the first atomic bomb was detonated in the US in 1945, and does not occur naturally. It was in fact a US plutonium bomb that killed more than 50,000 people in Nagasaki, Japan, in 1945.

Download the report:
Article tagged as: mox fuel, nuclear transports, nuclear weapons, plutonium, reports, reprocessing

Government in court over go-ahead for Sellafield MOX plant

Last edited 6 November 2001 at 9:00am
6 November, 2001

Date: Thursday, 8th November, 2001
Place: the High Court, The Strand, London, WC2

The Government is being taken to the High Court on Thursday 8th November to prevent the controversial new Sellafield plutonium plant from being opened. The joint legal challenge by Greenpeace and Friends of the Earth means a High Court Judge will judicially review the Government's recent decision to allow state-owned British Nuclear Fuels to give the go-ahead for the mixed oxide or MOX plant at Sellafield. BNFL is expected to switch on the plant later this month.

Article tagged as: BNFL, mox fuel, nuclear power, plutonium, press releases, sellafield

Green groups in legal bid to stop MOX nuclear plant

Last edited 5 October 2001 at 8:00am
5 October, 2001

The Government is being taken to court to prevent the controversial plutonium plant at Sellafield from opening. Lawyers acting for Friends of the Earth and Greenpeace today filed papers in the High Court.

The judicial review follows Wednesday's decision by the Government to give state-owned British Nuclear Fuels Plc (BNFL) the go-ahead to begin operations at the mixed oxide (MOX) plant. Friends of the Earth and Greenpeace say the decision is unlawful because:

Article tagged as: BNFL, friends of the earth, judicial review, mox fuel, nuclear power, plutonium, press releases, sellafield

Government puts terror groups a step nearer to nuclear bombs- Greenpeace and Friends of the Earth court challenge likely

Last edited 3 October 2001 at 8:00am
3 October, 2001

The UK Government's approval, announced today, for a controversial new plutonium fuel facility at the Sellafield nuclear complex will increase the risk of terrorists seizing weapons usable material, Greenpeace has warned.

The group said the decision to give the go-ahead to British Nuclear Fuels' mixed oxide or 'MOX' fuel plant and its associated exports was "dangerously irresponsible and "an affront to the international community". On Monday, UN Secretary General Kofi Annan called upon the world to work together to reduce the risks of terror groups obtaining nuclear and other weapons of mass destruction. Today's move ignores that call and extends the proliferation of plutonium around the world.

Article tagged as: BNFL, friends of the earth, mox fuel, nuclear power, nuclear weapons, plutonium, press releases, reprocessing, sellafield

Greenpeace France protestors arrested during night of armed plutonium transports

Last edited 17 January 2001 at 9:00am
17 January, 2001

January 17th 2001, Cherbourg/Valognes, France:

Five Greenpeace France activists were arrested by French Interior Ministry police, CRS, this morning, while protesting at the gates and railway line of the Cogema nuclear transport depot at Valognes. The action, which began on Saturday, was in protest against the imminent transport of plutonium/MOX fuel from Europe to Japan. At around 1.00 am, the activists were bundled into a waiting police van after having their chains and neck locks cut from the gates of Cogema's depot.

Article tagged as: direct actions, france, mox fuel, nuclear power, nuclear transports, plutonium, press releases

Deadly plutonium shipment set to leave Europe this week - Greenpeace warns en route countries

Last edited 16 January 2001 at 9:00am
16 January, 2001

Greenpeace today warned coastal nations around the world to be on high alert for a deadly weapons-usable plutonium/MOX fuel shipment from Europe to Japan. The armed nuclear transport freighters the Pacific Pintail and Pacific Teal began to leave the British port of Barrow-in-Furness this morning bound for the French port of Cherbourg where they will load the plutonium cargo before an eight week 30,000km journey to Japan.

Article tagged as: BNFL, mox fuel, NII, nuclear power, nuclear transports, plutonium, policy, press releases