shut sellafield

BBC says Tuesday 17/4/2007 Energy summit: Everyone who is anyone in the nuclear industry will gather in Budapest, Hungary, as the World Nuclear Association discusses how best to meet the huge surge in demand for nuclear power

Last week I heard Turlough O’Sullivan of IBEC say we in Ireland should look at nuclear and have the debate. Come back when it is safe and have a debate, the fact that international capitalism can’t plan for tomorrow and here comes peak oil is not good enough reason to choose a technology that is not safe nor has a waste disposal solution even though they had 50 years to sort a solution out, sure when is peak uranium?

IBEC said 10/4/2007 With security of supply and energy costs affected by our 90% dependence on imported fossil fuels, and environmental commitments to carbon abatement, Ireland must evaluate all energy technologies that may be used to meet growing demand. As an alternative technology the potential of nuclear energy in Ireland must be debated in an open, informed and timely manner. [Business priorities for the next government pdf page 9]

A statement on incidents at nuclear installations in Britain that meet Ministerial reporting criteria is reported to the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry and the Secretary of State for Scotland and is published every quarter by the Health and Safety Executive.

For the period 1 October 2006 to 31 December 2006 there was one incident at Sellafield which met the reporting criteria. This involved a major injury accident ( a broken arm, fractured ulna and crush injuries to the wrist ) to one of British Nuclear Group Sellafield Ltd’s ( BNGSL ) workers whilst maintaining equipment in the Waste Treatment Complex Supercompactor Glovebox Suite on the Sellafield Licensed Site.

For more information visit: http://www.hse.gov.uk/nuclear/quarterly-stat/2006-4.htm

Roche to host nuclear talks in Dublin – RTE

The Minister for the Environment, Dick Roche, is to meet his counterparts from Iceland, Austria and Norway, along with the German State Secretary for the Environment, at Dublin Castle this morning.

On the agenda are common concerns arising from the trans-boundary implications of nuclear activities, including Britain’s Sellafield nuclear plant.

They will also discuss the use of nuclear energy as the answer to climate change.

–

later today I hope to meet with Lofoten against Sellafield (Norway) in Dublin City, other groups in the area, I can be contacted on mobile 085 711 6466

By Geoffrey Lean, Environment Editor The Independent
Published: 18 March 2007

Safety alarms have been routinely ignored, operating instructions flouted, and safety equipment left broken at the controversial Sellafield nuclear plant, a devastating official inquiry has found.

The inquiry report – one of the most damning ever on a British nuclear installation – condemns “an alarm-tolerant culture”, “long-standing failings in some key safety arrangements” and a “failure to learn from previous events” at the Cumbrian complex.

The accident at the Thorp reprocessing plant – which was disclosed by The Independent on Sunday in 2005 – has kept the plant closed ever since, and was the focus of the investigation.

Some 83,000 litres of highly radioactive liquid leaked at the plant for at least eight months before the spill was detected.

more

THE NRC is the USA has downgraded the safety of the largest nuclear plant in the country. full details from CNN

Regulators in September found that one of Palo Verde’s emergency diesel generators had been inoperative for 18 days.Emergency generators are critically important at nuclear reactors, providing electricity to pumps, valves and control rooms if the main electrical supply fails.

Dear Mr. Greene,

I refer to your email requesting comments on Sellafield. The Irish Government is using every diplomatic, political and legal route available to bring about the safe and orderly closure of the Sellafield plant. Ireland’s concerns in respect of the continued operation of the Sellafield complex are regularly reinforced by the poor ongoing safety record at Sellafield and more recently by the serious incident at the THORP Plant in April 2005.

Yours sincerely,
_______________
Ciarán Madden
Private Secretary
pp Bryan Cahill
Department of Foreign Affairs

Greenpeace has won its High Court bid to make the UK government re-think its programme to build a new generation of nuclear power stations. The environmental pressure group argued that ministers had not consulted the public enough on the issue.

Greenpeace’s Emma Gibson told Sky News that the consultation on nuclear power had been “seriously flawed”.
[BBC] [greenpeace] [perma news search RSS]

irish examiner reports 

A UK company has won a €400,000 contract to upgrade existing monitoring stations on the east and south-east coast of Ireland.

Data from the stations about nuclear installations abroad will be beamed to a central response unit.

Berthold Technologies Ltd, which beat off competition from seven other firms, will also build seven extra stations.

during the filming of Miss Potter cast members like RENEE ZELLWEGER and EWAN MCGREGOR stayed in a hotel on the grounds of Sellafield nuclear power plant in the north east of England.

In an interview for american television, Renee Zellweger said: “So we were driving along and I remember seeing this really ominous-looking silhouette on the horizon that looked just like Homer Simpson’s place of employment. “And I said, ‘What kind of power plant are you talking about here?” She said her driver went on to describe ‘Sellarsfield’ as the nuclear power plant that leaked.

[source: contactmusic.com & newsandstar.co.uk ]

Pat Rabbitte T.D. Labour Party Leader says.

“Well done on the site, its a great way to draw attention to the issue. We continue to press for the closure of Sellafield and our spokesperson on Nuclear Safety, Emmet Stagg T.D., will be stepping up our campaign in the coming months with my full support.”