via Morning Star
An Investigation has been launched into a near catastrophe at a nuclear reprocessing plant at Sellafield in Cumbria – despite bosses’ attempts to downplay the seriousness of the incident.
A chemical used in the process was mistakenly placed in the wrong storage tank.
The error was spotted before the reprocessing of radioactive material began, averting a disaster which could have wrecked the reprocessing system.
Sellafield Ltd, the private company which operates Sellafield nuclear power station, confirmed today that an investigation was taking place into how the error happened.
The company said there had been no threat to its staff or the environment.
But the Manchester-based Nuclear Free Local Authorities secretariat said it was “alarming” that Sellafield Ltd had classified the incident as a “non-radiological event.”
The incident happened at Sellafield’s Thermal Oxide Reprocessing Plant (Thorp) on May 14.
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