reprocessing

The UK Government must impose a moratorium on the discharges of the radioactive chemical Technetium-99 (Tc-99) from Sellafield now, and not leave us to the mercy of British Nuclear Fuels' (BNFL) research programme.

The UK Government's decision (1) yesterday to consult on proposals to consider whether a moratorium on the discharge of Tc-99 from the Sellafield site is feasible whilst research on abatement technology is carried out, is too little, too late, according to Greenpeace.

The Irish Government is taking the British to court today in an effort to stop the controversial production and transportation of dangerous MOX nuclear fuel. The transport of a consignment from Japan last month caused uproar in the Republic.

Greenpeace today reacted with anger to revelations in the Norwegian press that the Sellafield nuclear plant plans to discharge large amounts of a notorious radioactive substance into the Irish Sea this week (1).

Discharges of Technetium 99 have been hugely controversial, particularly in Norway and Ireland, with contamination from the radioactive chemical found on the coasts of both countries. Lobsters are regularly found off Sellafield with levels of Technetium 99 which breach the levels set by the European Community for intervention following a nuclear accident [2]. It will take between two to three years for this week's releases to reach the Norwegian coast.

Greenpeace has caught up with a deadly cargo of plutonium off South African waters and mounted a high-seas protest, just days before the start of the Earth Summit in Johannesburg.

Despite attempts by the two armed vessels to evade public scrutiny by altering course, the Greenpeace ship, MV Esperanza, located them late Sunday night and radioed an intention to peacefully protest, but received no reply.

Commenting on the Environment Agency's Proposals (1) for Future Sellafield Regulation, Greenpeace today described them as grossly inadequate. Greenpeace campaigner, Pete Roche, said, "Despite all the talk of significant reductions in discharge limits, the actual radioactivity going into the Irish Sea and our atmosphere is likely to double over the next few years".

Greenpeace has condemned the Government and British Nuclear Fuels for the introduction of plutonium into the controversial Sellafield MOX Plant (SMP) earlier today. The decision to proceed with loading of the lethal nuclear material will increase environmental pollution from the Sellafield site and increase international security risks, including nuclear terrorism and proliferation of nuclear weapons. Greenpeace and Friends of the Earth have mounted a range of legal challenges in an effort to prevent the plant from opening. The Irish Government currently has two international legal cases on-going against the UK government.