N-Base Briefing 133

N-BASE BRIEFING 133  - - - - - - 5th June 1998

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133.1 UK Government loses patience with Dounreay
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The UK Scottish Secretary of State Donald Dewar is to announce 
today at 9am (UK time) a major change in policy in supporting 
reprocessing at Dounreay.    Mr Dewar is to announce that 
no new contracts for reprocessing spent fuel will be allowed.

It is understood the Government will say that Dounreay can 
only reprocess the fuel already on-site - that is spent 
fuel from the two closed fast reactors at Dounreay, the 
DFR and PFR, and the controversial spent fuel from 
Georgia.   This will mean no contract to reprocess spent 
fuel from the Lucas Heights reactor in Australia.  There 
will be enough reprocessing work to maintain present job 
levels for possibly five years and the increased decommissioning 
work at the complex will probably increase overall job 
numbers at the plant.

The government's announcement of a 'phased closure' of 
Dounreay is a dramatic turn-around - even earlier this 
week the Prime Minister Tony Blair was defending Dounreay, 
but now it is accepted the list of problems at the site 
has become too long and too embarrassing - especially in 
the run-up to the elections for the new Scottish Parliament 
in 11 months time.

However the decision raised a number of important questions:

* The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) is in the 
middle of a consultation and decision period on Dounreay's 
application for waste discharge authorisations, out-standing 
since 1993.  Where does this announcement leave this 
process - will a new application now be required and a 
new consultation period ?   Has the government announcement 
effectively by-passed the regulatory authority ?

* SEPA had been expected to call for independent assessment 
of the economic, social and environmental justifications 
for reprocessing work at Dounreay.  What happens to the 
Government's new policy if this assessment rejects the 
arguments for reprocessing the spent fuel at Dounreay ?

* The main reprocessing plant at Dounreay is presently 
closed since a major leak and fault in September 1996.  
No decision from the Department of Trade and Industry 
(DTI) has been made on whether it will spend the 
estimated GBP20 million plus to repair the plant - 
in addition to any improvements the regulators will 
require after their present safety audit.

* The DTI has been undertaking an economic assessment of 
the various options of dealing with the DFR and PFR spent 
fuel - the reprocessing at Dounreay being only one of several 
other options, which include storage, reprocessing at 
Sellafield or even at Cap la Hague in France.

Today's Government decision seems to by-pass or ignore the 
position with the DTI and SEPA - unless the announcement 
today includes the results of the DTI study.

* If the actual decision is radically different from the 
above information a new Briefing will be issued immediately.