Greenpeace and People Against Wylfa B (PAWB) have condemned the decision by the Nuclear Installations Inspectorate (NII) to allow BNFL to restart Wylfa nuclear power station today [1]. Greenpeace and PAWB are calling for the station to be closed permanently on safety grounds. The NII decision, taken in secret, has failed to assess properly the potential dangers of restarting the station.

The reactors were closed in April 2000 following the discovery of defects in welds in the reactor pressure vessels. The NII was concerned that the welds could break open, releasing radioactive contents from the reactor. They asked BNFL to fit 'restraints' to the outside of the pressure vessel to limit radioactive releases if the welds did break open. The welds themselves have not been repaired.

Neither BNFL nor the NII have published information on the extent of the weld problem, or on the consequences to human health and the environment if the welds broke. In March, Greenpeace published a report at the National Assembly for Wales which concluded that a failure of the defective welds, coupled with other safety problems at the station, could result in uncontrolled, large scale releases of radioactivity [2].

"Once again, the NII and BNFL have negotiated in secret about nuclear safety issues. The only information in the public domain about the extent of the problems at Wylfa concluded that there could be catastrophic consequences if the welds broke. People in Wales have the right to be told about the risks that BNFL and the NII are forcing them to face - this right has consistently been denied", said Bridget Woodman from Greenpeace.

Despite a high degree of public concern, the National Assembly for Wales have refused to question the NII's handling of Wylfa's safety problems [3].

Neither BNFL nor the NII have published a case for reopening Wylfa, and no public consultation regarding the station's safety problems has been carried out among the general public of North West Wales, or with local authorities in Wales. This effectively means that there is no democratic accountability for either the nuclear industry or its regulators.

In addition, neither the First Minister, nor the Minister for the Environment attended a meeting with the NII, about safety at the station, at the end of last year. This is despite the National Assembly's right to be involved in issues of nuclear safety in Wales because of the widespread environmental consequences which could stem from a nuclear accident. PAWB has asked for the publication of this meeting's minutes, but the First Minister has refused on the grounds that they may be 'commercially sensitive' [4].

"Assembly ministers are clearly failing the people of Wales by censoring public debate on the problems which have crippled Wylfa over the last 15 months. While we've come to expect the NII to behave like the nuclear industry's lap dogs, we are appalled that the National Assembly is behaving like BNFL's poodle too," said Dylan Morgan from PAWB.

The weld defects are just the latest in a long series of problems at the station. Of particular concern is the irreparable and ongoing deterioration of the reactors' graphite core [5].

Notes for editors:
[1] The NII approved BNFL's safety case for restarting the reactor without repairing the defective welds on Friday 27 July.
[2] Large and Associates, Review of Ageing Processes and their Influence on Safety and Performance at Wylfa Nuclear Power Station, 14 March 2001.
[3] The Minister for the Environment, Sue Essex, has received 2,800 postcards and over 200 letters expressing concerns about safety at Wylfa and asking the National Assembly to act.
[4] Letter from Rhodri Morgan to Dylan Morgan, July 2001.
[5] Documents prepared in the early 1990s by Wylfa's then-owner, Nuclear Electric, predicted that graphite keyways which are vital to the structure stability of the reactor core could fail between 30 and 35 years into Wylfa's operation life. Wylfa is already 30 years old.

Further information:
Contact:
Greenpeace press office on 020 7865 8255

 

Welsh Assembly Members today heard the results of a Greenpeace funded report into the dangers of allowing the ageing Wylfa nuclear power station on Anglesey to reopen [1].

Speakers at the launch, held at the National Assembly, included report author, independent nuclear engineer John Large, Assembly Members Mick Bates (Liberal Democrats) and John Griffiths (Labour) and Dylan Morgan from PAWB (People Against Wylfa B/Pobol Atal Wylfa B).

Wylfa nuclear power station is currently closed following the discovery of defects in welds in the pressure vessel containing the nuclear reactor. Plant operators British Nuclear Fuels Ltd [2], are planning to reopen the reactors without repairing the welds. Instead, they want to fit 'restraints' which would limit rather than prevent radioactive discharges in the event of an accident.

In his presentation Mr Large highlighted the potential catastrophic consequences of defective welds inside the nuclear plant and the ageing and deterioration of other vital reactor components.

He also highlighted ongoing deterioration of the reactor system as the inevitable result of ageing, including:

• The cracking of plates around pipework from the reactor boilers;
• The corrosion of steel components inside the reactor, in particular the "core restraint garter" which surrounds the core of the nuclear reactor;
• Corrosion or loss of volume in the graphite core of the reactor.

At the launch Mr Large argued that the inevitable deterioration of these components mean it is increasingly difficult to predict what might happen in an accident. He stated that the 'worst case scenario' accident for Wylfa is in fact far more serious than has previously been admitted by the NII.

He concluded that if Wylfa is allowed to re-open, a failure of the welds and the weakened reactor components could combine to result in uncontrolled, large-scale releases of radioactivity.

Mr Large also criticised regulation of nuclear safety regime by the Nuclear Installations Inspectorate (NII) as secretive and lacking in rigour.

Greenpeace is launching the report at the National Assembly because of the interest that the Assembly has in issues of nuclear safety. A nuclear accident could have a serious impact on the environment, economy and the health of people in Wales. Officials for the Minister for the Environment have regular, formal meetings with the NII, but information on the discussions is not publicly available [3].

The report launch is part of a campaign to keep the reactors closed which is supported by other Campaign Organisations in Wales [4]. The campaign is demanding that the National Assembly ensures that all information on nuclear safety is made public, and that the Minister for the Environment should ask the NII to keep the reactors closed.

Report author John Large said,
"I am very surprised to learn that the NII are allowing BNFL to proceed with what I can only describe as an expedient bodge job. The NII are allowing BNFL to fit an external restraint system which does not address the fundamental problem of cracks in welds of a safety critical component of the reactor system. If any one of these safety systems should fail, the resulting intrusion of tonnes of superheated steam into the reactor will considerably test the core restraint system. It has been known that these systems are subject to ageing and strength degradation since the reactors were commissioned in 1971".

He continued, "Like the NII, I consider there to be a great deal of uncertainty about the state of the reactors, but unlike them, I would not consider allowing it to restart".

Assembly Member Mick Bates said,
"The Assembly must play a greater role in nuclear safety especially in view of our commitments to sustainable development, which means an increasing focus on renewable energy."

Dylan Morgan of PAWB (People Opposed to Wylfa B) said,
"There is deep distrust in Wales of nuclear safety at Wylfa. Our recent campaigning has shown widespread public support for an end to this nuclear threat. Wylfa should be shut for good".

Greenpeace Campaigner Bridget Woodman said,
"BNFL wants to play Russian Roulette with human health and the environment. Wylfa's ageing reactors should be shut down now, not patched up and run until a major nuclear accident occurs. The National Assembly - and the Minister for Environment in particular - should demand to know why the NII is letting BNFL proceed with its dangerous re-start plan".

Editor's notes:
[1] Review of Ageing Processes and their Influence on the Safety and Performance of Wylfa Nuclear Power Station, John Large, Large and Associates.

[2] Who own and operate the station through their Magnox Electric subsidiary

[3] On 8 march 2001, Sue Essex, Minister for Environment, stated that "My officials have regular and frequent contact with both [the NII and the HSE]. The most recent formal meeting was held at the National Assembly on 21st November 2000 and covered briefing on the current situation at Wylfa".

[4] The campaign is supported by PAWB (People Against Wylfa B/Pobol Atal Wylfa B), a group based on Anglesey, WANA (Welsh Anti-Nuclear Alliance) and CND Cymru.

Further information:
Contact:
Greenpeace Press Office on 020 7865 8255

 

Greenpeace described today's announcement by the Nuclear Installations Inspectorate (NII) as "A shocking indictment of Sellafield's continuing safety crisis."

In particular the NII reported today that BNFL has so far failed to fully implement 25 of the 28 Sellafield site safety recommendations the NII made last year, and that it expects full completion to take until the end of 2002.

"When it comes to safety and the environment, Sellafield is a disaster zone," said Greenpeace spokesperson, Dr Helen Wallace, "Dangerous near-misses and dodgy practices continue unabated."

One year ago, three damning reports from the NII revealed a range of major safety concerns including:

• "Operation of a plant with multiple alarms showing in the control room".
• Confirmation that safety data had been falsified by workers on MOX fuel delivered to Japan and Germany (data for Swiss fuel also contained irregularities).
• Confirmation that the tanks of high-level liquid nuclear waste at Sellafield pose a growing safety hazard.

"Official assurances are bland and meaningless, in the light of the appalling safety record on the site", said Dr Wallace.

In the last few weeks alone:

• Ministers received an emergency brief, when explosive gases built up in the building housing high-level liquid nuclear waste tanks at Sellafield. The alarm was ignored for several hours.
• The Environment Agency announced a second prosecution, due to be heard today, but now delayed until April, for BNFL's failure to keep track of its radioactive sources.
• The MOX programme in Japan, BNFL's big hope for future business, has been further delayed due to local opposition at reactor sites.

Other incidents last year included: worker sabotage of MOX fuel and a robot arm that handles high-level nuclear waste; forging of entry passes by workers; workers testing an air rifle they had smuggled into a "controlled area" on the Sellafield site; a ban on the use of some of BNFL's rail wagons after a nuclear waste transport jumped the tracks; a chance discovery by France's nuclear safety agency that some of BNFL's nuclear transport flasks could rupture within only 175 seconds in a severe fire.

Greenpeace believes that BNFL's continued pollution and appalling safety record will remain out of control unless all nuclear reprocessing and plutonium fuel (MOX) production is stopped.

"BNFL's future business should be in the responsible management and clean-up of our existing legacy of nuclear waste. It should not be clinging to the dirty, dangerous practices of nuclear reprocessing and the plutonium trade", said Dr Wallace.

Further information:
Please contact:
Greenpeace Press Office on 020 7865 8255

 

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. The ships, each have three 30mm canon and armed nuclear police onboard. The transport is expected to begin late on Wednesday January 17th.

This will be the first transport of plutonium/MOX fuel to Japan since 1999 after which BNFL admitted irregularities in quality control records and previous shipments of MOX fuel have still not been loaded into reactors as a result of legal action in Japan.

Last night special forces from the French anti-terrorist police (GIPN) arrested Greenpeace France protesters while they were blocking a railway line in Cherbourg. The line is used by Cogema to transport nuclear material to the port from its nearby facilities.

The British, French and Japanese governments and the nuclear companies responsible (1) have not provided any information on the departure date, route to be taken or the amount of plutonium to be transported. Despite strong international opposition to these potentially devastating transports there has been no prior consultation with en-route countries. An official announcement of the route is only expected 24 hours after departure.

Three principal routes are possible: via the Caribbean Sea, Panama Canal, then across the Pacific; via South Africa/Cape of Good Hope, the Tasman Sea and the South Pacific; or via South America/Cape Horn, and the south Pacific. (2, and Map available)

The transport is one of an increasing number scheduled over the coming years. According to the Japanese Foreign Ministry all three routes will be used in a "well balanced manner". In addition, it stressed it would be impossible not to use the Panama Canal route.(3)

"The nuclear industry has no credibility and its claims that these transports are safe lack credibility. A cargo of hundreds of kilograms of plutonium, high explosive ammunition, and fuel oil is a recipe for environmental disaster. The industry's refusal to conduct an international environmental impact assessment and hold prior consultation and approval talks with the en-route nations, highlights the disregard they have for public health and the environment," said Shaun Burnie of Greenpeace International.

The plutonium/MOX fuel cargo was produced by the Belgian company Belgonucleaire, from plutonium reprocessed by the French state-owned company Cogema. It is owned by the world's largest electrical utility, Tokyo Electric Power, and is to be loaded into the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa unit 3 nuclear reactor in the Niigata Prefecture on the Sea of Japan coast. Plutonium MOX fuel produced by Belgonucleaire for Tokyo Electric and delivered in September 1999 has still not been loaded into a reactor. In August 2000 a court action was brought by nearly 1000 Japanese citizens against Tokyo Electric seeking an injunction against plans to load the MOX fuel. The case was based upon on evidence of irregularities in the quality control data for the Belgonucleaire MOX. The court is expected to rule on this case in February.

The credibility of the plutonium industry is at an all time low following the falsification scandal. It led to Japanese government ministers and industry describing BNFL as untrustworthy and not a company they can do business with. Having deceived one of their most important clients for several years BNFL's reassuring statement that their ships are some of the safest in the world are unconvincing.

"Unfortunately, ships have accidents and so does the nuclear industry. The 1999 criticality accident at Tokai-mura in Japan was impossible according to the Japanese government. But it happened. Shipping plutonium around the planet across some of the most dangerous seas in the world is inherently dangerous and wholly unjustified," said Burnie.

Notes to Editors:
British Nuclear Fuels (BNFL), Cogema and Japanese utility Tokyo Electric Power

There is, in addition, a possible fourth route, past South Africa and the South China Sea, via the Malluca Straits.

The Nuclear Fuel Division of the Japanese Foreign Ministry issued its statement in response to a question from Diet Member Fukushima on December 18th.

The Pacific Pintail and Pacific Teal are operated by Pacific Nuclear Transport Ltd, in which British Nuclear Fuels (BNFL) has a majority stake.

A second nuclear shipment also bound for Japan left France at the end of December carrying high level nuclear waste. The highly radioactive waste is being carried on board the Pacific Swan, which has just rounded Cape Horn amidst a storm of protest.

Cogema has sought an injunction against Greenpeace France in a bid to prevent protest actions against the departure of the transports from Cherbourg.

Publication date: April 2000

Summary
Dear Chief Inspector,
We are writing to you in advance of British Nuclear Fuel's (BNFL's) report to you on the adoption of the Nuclear Installations Inspectorate (NII) recommendations contained in the NII report entitled "An investigation into the falsification of pellet diameter data in the MOX Demonstration Facility at the BNFL Sellafield site and the effect of this on the status of MOX fuel in use", UK Nuclear Installations Inspectorate, February 18th 2000...

Fatal shortcomings in the NII's investigation into BNFL falsification of mox fuel data

Publication date: April 2000

Summary
The Nuclear Installations Inspectorate (NII) report is an inadequate investigation of MOX data falsification. The NII has failed to recognise that BNFL has fundamental production difficulties with the manufacture of MOX fuel, which will not be resolved by sacking workers or managers or partially automating the checks. This means that the NII recommendations are inadequate and that the actions they require BNFL to take to address the problem will fall far short of what is required.

Greenpeace and Green action

Publication date: April 2000

Summary
There is a widespread perception that the UK's Nuclear Installations Inspectorate (NII), report 1 on the falsification of plutonium Mixed Oxide fuel (MOX) at the British Nuclear Fuel's (BNFL) MOX Demonstration Facility (MDF) located at the Sellafield site, was a devastating critique of the company's quality control standards. There are indeed important and critical issues addressed in the report. They have, together with the other reports released on general site safety and the storage of High Active Waste, significantly contributed to the broad media and public understanding, both in the UK and overseas, that BNFL's Sellafield operations are unsafe. However, there are strong reasons to argue that the NII has failed to substantially investigate both the extent and the underlying reasons for the original falsification of MOX Quality Control (QC) data produced by the MDF plant...

Sellafield nuclear reprocessing plant

Responding to the Nuclear Installations Inspectorate report (released tomorrow) into the falsification of plutonium data at BNFL's Sellafield plant, Pete Roche from Greenpeace said, "The whole plutonium business is rotten to the core. Removing one or two bad apples, even from the top, cannot rescue this dangerous and polluting industry".

He added, "It is time for the Government to act decisively and end nuclear reprocessing at Sellafield for good."

The damning report into falsification of safety data on plutonium fuel (MOX), shipped to Japan last year, is only one of three reports on Sellafield due to be released by the Nuclear Installations Inspectorate tomorrow morning.

All three reports are expected to expose major safety problems and mismanagement at Sellafield. The crisis in nuclear waste management and safety stems from BNFL's core business of nuclear reprocessing, which involves separating dangerous nuclear weapons-useable plutonium from nuclear waste fuel.

4 Greenpeace briefings on the issues expected to be raised by all three reports are now available:

• A series of key questions the NII will need to answer re. the Japanese MOX saga.
• The MOX data falsification scandal in BNFL own words - showing how their story has changed over time.
• Background and anticipated issues surrounding the Sellafield safety inspection.
• Background on high level radioactive waste at Sellafield.