shut sellafield

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 ]

[source: NorwayPost.no] Norwegian Environmental Minister Helen Bjoernoey is disappointed over the UK authorities’ decision to permit the re-opening of the Thorp nuclear reprocessing plant at Sellafield.

The British Nuclear Security Authority on Tuesday gave permission to resume the reprocessing of spent nuclear fuel at the Thorp plant, which was closed down in April 2005, following a serious leak when a pipe burst, causing 83 cubic metres of contaminated liquids to leak into a concrete cell lined with stainless steel.

Bjoernoy will now contact Ireland and Iceland with the aim to mount a joint reaction against the re-opening of the reprocessing plant.

– Thorp ought to have been closed for good. I am disappointed over the fact that British authorities have permitted the re-opening of the plant, the Norwegian Environment Minister says.

– It is disappointing that so little importance has been attached to the interests and views of neighbouring nations like Ireland, Iceland and Norway when the decision to re-open was given, she says.

[source: norway.org.uk ] “The THORP plant should be shut down for good, and I am very disappointed that British authorities have now allowed for the reopening of this plant,â€? Ms Bjørnøy said. “I have raised this issue on several occations with my UK colleague, and Norway’s view has also been communicated at the prime ministerial level. Concerns over the possible reopening of THORP have also been raised by the Nordic Ministers for the Environment in concert.â€?

“Neighbouring countries such as Ireland and Norway are very vulnerable to any major discharge of radioactive material from THORP or its associated waste facilities. It is disappointing that UK authorities have attached so little importance to the interests and views of countries like Norway, Ireland and Iceland when making their decision on whether to reopen of the plant or not. I think the time is now ripe for a closer cooperation between these countries in order to secure our interests when important decisions are made in the matter of future operation or shut-down of THORP and related nuclear facilities at Sellafield,� Helen Bjørnøy concluded.

fined a cool half a million pounds for a major undetected spill of hundreds of litres of radioactive material in THORP, what happens next.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) announced today that it has granted consent for the re-start of the THORP facility at the Sellafield nuclear reprocessing plant.

HSE’s Nuclear Installations Inspectorate (NII) is satisfied that the licensee, British Nuclear Group Sellafield Ltd (BNGSL), has done all the work necessary to ensure that THORP can be re-started and operated safely. [source: hse.gov.uk ]

HSE will publish a report on its investigation into the leak at THORP shortly.

think, think again, and again and again. Think about it!

The Minister for the Environment has said the Government is opposed to the construction of any new nuclear power facility at the controversial Sellafield site in Cumbria. Dick Roche was speaking in London after talks with Britain’s Trade Secretary, Alastair Darling, who is the minister with responsibility for Sellafield. Later this year the Blair administration is expected to approve the construction of a new generation of nuclear power stations along Britain’s west coast.

interesting results from google trends
ireland is twice the UK count with Norway third.
Try a wind versus nuclear energy search.

[BBC reports] Sunderland train station was evacuated after a train carrying two nuclear flasks to Sellafield broke down. Smoke was seen coming from the train after an axle overheated, according to British Transport Police (BTP). The station was closed on Wednesday afternoon but has now re-opened to passengers. Mainline and Metro services were hit but are now running again. BTP said the nuclear load did not pose a danger and the station was evacuated because of fumes from the axle. The train is operated by Direct Rail Services, a freight operating company created by British Nuclear Fuels Limited (BNFL).

The operator of Sellafield nuclear reprocessing plant has been fined £500,000 following a radioactive leak.

[guardian]

[guardian / PA] The firm that runs Sellafield nuclear reprocessing plant will be fined in court on Monday after admitting safety breaches following a radioactive leak.

Around 83,000 litres of acid containing about 20 tonnes of uranium and 160kg of plutonium escaped from a ruptured pipe into a sealed concrete holding cell at the site in Cumbria.

The spillage of spent nuclear fuel was discovered in April 2005 – but may have gone unnoticed for eight months.

No one was injured and no radioactive material escaped into the atmosphere after the leak at the Thermal Oxide Reprocessing Plant (Thorp) part of the site.

But British Nuclear Group Sellafield Ltd, which runs the facility, later pleaded guilty to three counts of breaching conditions attached to the Sellafield site licence, granted under the Nuclear Installations Act 1965.

The Health and Safety Executive brought the prosecution, arguing the firm failed to ensure safety systems were in good working order and that radioactive material was effectively contained.

Representatives of the company will appear at Carlisle Crown Court on Monday.

They face unlimited fines under the powers of the court.

also [irish indo 16/10]