N-Base Briefing 520


N-Base Briefing 520
24th March 2007
ISSN 1478-4661

Two particles

Two more radioactive 'hotspot' particles have been found on the Sandside beach near Dounreay. This brings the total found so far this year to 16 - compared to 19 in the whole of 2006. (www.sandsideestate.co.uk)

Sodium spill

Dounreay's firefighters were called out earlier this month when "a teaspoon-sized" amount of highly volatile radioactive sodium leaked into a glove-box in the Dounreay Fast Reactor during decommissioning work. The glove-box contained nitrogen which prevented the risk of an explosion. (Caithness Courier 21/03/07, www.ukaea.org.uk)

Better clean-up backed

The Dounreay Stakeholders Group has supported a thorough clean-up of contaminated land at Dounreay - rather than leave it until the radioactivity has dropped to safe levels by about 2030. The DSG said it wanted the enhanced clean-up because it would speed-up the de-licensing of the site, help attract new businesses and improve the public's perception of the decommissioning process. Removing the contaminated soil would cost an additional GBP138 million. (John O'Groat Journal 21/03/07)

NDA sells electricity

The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority has signed an agreement with British Energy to sell all the output from its Magnox reactors. All power from the NDA's Wylfa and Oldbury reactors, both due to close in 2011, will be marketed by British Energy under the agreement. (Reuters 19/03/03)

Tireless explosion

An explosion on the nuclear-power submarine HMS Tireless has killed two sailors. The explosion took place in the vessel's air purification system and the Ministry of Defence said there was no danger to the reactor. (Daily Telegraph 22/03/07)

Raising money

In his budget this week chancellor Gordon Brown confirmed his plans to raise GBP36 billion from selling Government assets over the next five years. These will include the 65 per cent share in British Energy and its share of the uranium enrichment group Urenco. (Independent 22/03/07)

Report published

The report of the April-June 2006 meeting of the Torness local liaison committee has been published by the Nuclear Installation Inspectorate. (www.hsenews.com)

Cost to rise

The cost of dealing with nuclear contaminated land was likely to "rise significantly" according to Mr Phil Davies, the head of waste management for the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority. Currently contaminated land clean-up costs in the UK are estimated at GBP1.4 billion out of a total of GBP64 billion. (Whitehaven News 22/03/07)

Emergency booklet

Weymouth and Portland Borough Council has issued an information leaflet on the action residents should take in the event of an emergency involving a nuclear submarine. The vessels use Portland Port and the leaflet is being distributed to homes within two kilometres. Dorset Daily Echo (21/03/07)

Mox shipment

A consignment of plutonium Mox reactor fuel was taken by road from Sellafield to Workington last week under armed escort. It was then loaded onto the roll-on/roll-off ferry Atlantic Osprey for shipment to an unidentified European customer. (Whitehaven News 22/03/-70

Delay call

A postponement in building the proposed new European Pressurised Reactor at Flamanville has been called for by two of the three main candidates in next month's French presidential elections. Socialist Segolene Royal and centrist Francois Bayrou both said the project should be delayed until there was proper public consultation. (Jersey Evening post 17/03/07)