N-BASE BRIEFING 126 - - - - - - 19th April 1998
NENIG, Bains Beach, Commercial Street, Lerwick, Shetland ZE1 0AG
126.1 Spent fuel storage is stopped
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The Nuclear Installations Inspectorate (NII) is taking action
to stop spent fuel being stored at Dounreay for years without
being reprocessed. The NII has told Dounreay that before
any irradiated fuel is brought to the complex "there should
be demonstrable means for its reprocessing or disposal. It
is not intended Dounreay be used as a long-term surface
repository for irradiated fuel from any source." The
NII decision is directly relevant to Dounreay's plans to
open a new third reprocessing line in a plant known as D2670.
The operators UKAEA wants to reprocess spent fuel from
small-scale TRIGA reactors.
It is hoping to sign a contract with ECN in the Netherlands,
but the new NII ruling means no fuel can be taken to
Dounreay before full regulatory permission is granted for D2670.
The Scottish Environment Protection Agency has stated the plant
does not have consent to carry out reprocessing work.
126.2 Dounreay justification to be examined ?
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The Scottish Environment Protection Agency has confirmed that it
is may agree to demands by many objectors to Dounreay's
application for revised discharge authorisations and call
in independent consultants to examine the operator's social
and economic case justifying reprocessing at the site.
Many of those responding to SEPA's latest round of
public consultation raised doubts about the shallow nature
of the justification produced by Dounreay.
126.3 Aldermaston discharges
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The Aldermaston Weapons Establishment has applied to the
Environment Agency for a 20-times increase in authorised
discharge limits of radioactive tritium into the River
Thames. The plant manufactures the UK nuclear weapons
warheads and wants to empty two 50 cubic metre tanks
containing liquid tritium waste.
126.4 News in Brief
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Other cancer causes possible
Highland Health Board's general manager, Dr Gordon Stone,
has said factors other than radiation could be responsible for
the cluster of childhood leukaemia cases around Dounreay.
Dr Stone gave these views in a letter to Mr Falconer Waters,
a long-standing supporter of Dounreay who believes either
microwave radiation from a former US Navy base, or a virus
linked to influxes and mixing of populations are more likely
causes of the leukaemia than radiation from Dounreay.
Mr Waters has been critical of the health board's stance
that Dounreay could be responsible. Now Dr Stone has
said the microwaves and virus theories might, or might
not be responsible. Like radiation their links are neither
proven nor not proven.
New Nirex chief
Mr Chris Murray has been appointed as the new managing director
of the UK nuclear waste company Nirex. He is the former finance
and corporate services director for the company and replaces Mr
Michael Folger.
Sellafield protest
Eighteen protesters were arrested during a demonstration at
Sellafield when spent fuel arrived from Emsland in Germany.
No more Scottish Nuclear
The name Scottish Nuclear will soon be no longer. The nuclear
generator British Energy has announced that is it to drop the
names of the two separate generating companies in England,
Wales and Scotland - Scottish Nuclear and Nuclear Energy.
In future all the companies activities will come under the
banner of British Nuclear.
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