April 25, 2006
CoRWM nears the end of the beginning – hunt for a dump site begins!
CoRWM’s draft recommendations are expected to emerge at its next plenary session to be held in Brighton on 25th – 27th April 2006. [1] There will then be a period of further public consultation before the final report is delivered to Government in July.
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April 24, 2006
Finland – not an example for the UK to follow
In the game of nuclear spin, Finland is a very important component.
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April 20, 2006
Chernobyl - the legacy
The World Health Organisation’s (WHO’s) International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) in Lyon has published its report on the cancer burden in Europe from Chernobyl. [1] The Agency predicts the number of cancer deaths will be between 6,700 and 38,000, probably around 16,000. This is four times the prediction made last September by the International Atomic Energy Authority (IAEA), and WHO - the Chernobyl Forum – which predicted 4,000 cancer deaths in total. A report published by Greenpeace International, on the other hand, predicts 93,000 cancer deaths, [2] and another report for the European Greens predicts between 30,000 and 60,000. [3]
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NII risks second failure at THORP plant– BNG prosecution looming
One year after a series of alarming errors resulted in 18,000 litres of highly radioactive dissolved spent fuel leaking in the THORP reprocessing plant at Sellafield, Greenpeace has published a report which exposes how the current plan to reopen THORP is an 'engineering 'bodge' which risks compromising safety. [1] The publication comes as it was revealed that the plant's operators will be prosecuted over the accident.
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April 18, 2006
British Energy Waste Row
The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) has attempted to stifle a mounting row over the cost of nuclear waste liabilities at British Energy, weeks after it was unable to explain its accounting policies. In claiming to have used the correct figures all along, the DTI failed to explain why it had taken three weeks to answer a query raised by the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) and why its top official was unable to give the Commons an immediate response. The issue is important because the government wants to sell its stake in BE.
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April 16, 2006
Environmental Audit Committee – sheds light on sustainable energy future
The House of Commons Environmental Audit Committee has concluded that new nuclear stations will be of little or no short-term use in filling an anticipated electricity 'generation gap' in Britain, and crucial questions of security, cost and effectiveness remain unanswered. The committee raise concerns over the risk of terrorist attacks, but also focus on the full costs of nuclear generation, such as the disposal of waste and decommissioning. [1] It says the economic viability of new nuclear plants has not been proved. [2]
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Scotland holds the line?
JACK McConnell issued a defiant warning that he would decide on new nuclear power stations for Scotland, and he would not be swayed by Westminster or by lobbying from his own Labour movement.
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Watchdog says UKAEA misleads public on health risk of Dounreay particles
The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) has accused the owners of Dounreay of misleading the public over the threat posed to public health by radioactive leaks from the plant. SEPA said the UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) was guilty of publishing false and conflicting information regarding thousands of plutonium and uranium particles washed up on beaches close to the Caithness plant.
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April 12, 2006
Former Ministers call for IAEA reform
Ten former European Environment Ministers, including Michael Meacher, have called on Secretary-General Kofi Annan and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director Mohamed ElBaradei to reform the Agency’s mandate and withdraw its promotion of nuclear technology.
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