N-BASE Briefing 85

Extracts from N-BASE Briefing 85
April 1996 - Other nuclear news

US firm interested in UK nuclear industry

The North Carolina-based builder and operator of nuclear power stations, Duke Power, has been in discussions with the UK Government about a possible trade buy-out of the UK's nuclear industry which is scheduled for privatisation later this year. The Government's advisers have entered into preliminary discussions about a trade buy-out as this would avoid the chance of a market sale failing because of investors' concerns about reprocessing, decommissioning and waste liabilities.

While Duke Power is saying very little officially the UK Government has admitted that the US utility's advisors, the City of London bank Schroders, had been in touch with the bank advising the UK Government with what is called a preliminary expression of interest. Energy Minister Tim Eggar said "Yes, we have had an indirect approach and it is of a very preliminary nature. As you would expect we have to get the best value for the taxpayers...If you receive an approach of that kind you have to investigate it because we have to convince the National Audit Office and the Public Accounts Committee that we have maximised value. At the end of the day a trade sale may be more beneficial than a flotation".

Call for tighter IMO transport controls

Demands for tighter mandatory controls on shipments of high-level wastes, spent fuel and plutonium were made by 13 countries at the special consultative meeting of the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) in London in March called by the last IMO General Assembly following concern over the effectiveness of a Code of Practice adopted by the IMO in 1993.

Since then the first of many shipments of high level waste from France and the UK to Japan in the Pacific Pintail took place last year and focused world attention on the issue. Shipments of plutonium from France and the UK will also begin in a few years. The special consultative meeting had no decision-making powers but its decisions will be considered by the relevant IMO committees.

The declaration by 13 states on the routes of these high-risk nuclear shipments came at the end of the special meeting. It was presented by Argentina on behalf of Australia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, Indonesia, Ireland, Solomon Islands, Mexico, New Zealand, Spain and Venezuela and took the three main nuclear countries - France, Japan and the UK - by surprise. The enroute nations declaration called for action in response to a number of concerns expressed by enroute nations, including lack of information, consultation and notification on shipments and for "a full Code" to cover all the new measures discussed at the meeting. The declaration demanded a "binding instrument" to replace the IMO's present voluntary Code.

The chairman of the meeting, Mr G A Dubbeld from the Netherlands listed 11 specific safety and legal issues the meeting had decided need further action by IMO committees. These include prior notification and consultation on emergency response requirements, preparation of environmental impact assessments by the transporting nations, the adequacy of flasks and packaging and the ships used for the shipments. The question of liability requirements for the nuclear transport will also be discussed.

Report on Monju accident

The interim report from the Science and Technology Agency in Japan (STA) on the major accident at the Monju fast reactor in December last year when there was a serious fire following a leak of liquid sodium from the reactor's cooling system (See Briefing 83.9 for full details) has been criticised for a lack of independent analysis and avoiding any STA responsibility despite its involvement in the safety and licensing procedure.

STA states the design and construction of the reactor, approved by STA before the accident, followed acceptable high standards but the appropriate measures were not taken to prevent the fire spreading. While calling for an intensive investigation, this seems to exclude the design, safety analysis and licensing procedures and while the report identifies human error for escalating the seriousness of the accident it does not examine why operators failed to appreciate the dangers.

The STA report puts the amount of sodium involved in the leak at 0.7 tonnes - initial reports after the accident reported up to 4 tonnes of sodium had leaked. Although it is unclear exactly how this estimate was reached and it does not allow for official 'margins of error' in instrumentation and measurements of between 0.8 and 7.5 tonnes. In addition the report found that there had been an under-estimation of the problem of corrosion of metals and plastics caused by the sodium hydroxide. The report says over 5,500sq. metres of the plant were affected by corrosion although this figure is contested by environmental groups.

Greenpeace invited nuclear physicist Professor Jochen Benecke to visit Japan to study the accident and Monju design and he met with PNC officials. He was highly critical of both design and safety. "The sodium leak in December seems to be a failure of quality in both design and analysis. If it is possible to fail in such a simple and well-known matter as the thermo-couple which caused the leak, how much confidence can we have that PNC has done everything absolutely perfectly with respect to a major accident ?"

New survey of arms dump

The UK Government has ordered a new survey after fresh concerns about the Beaufort Dyke arms and munitions dump between south-west Scotland and Northern Ireland. There is concern about munitions and chemicals from the Second World War being dumped outwith the official dumping area where there is not only fishing activity but two gas pipelines and a proposed electricity interconnector cable between Scotland and Ireland. Last year thousands of old incendiary devices were washed up on Scottish and Irish shores - work on laying a new British Gas pipeline to the north of Beaufort's Dyke has been blamed for disturbing the munitions.

The new survey, to be conducted by the Marine Laboratory in Aberdeen, will concentrate on large areas to the north, east and south of the official dumping area. Scottish Office Minister Raymond Robertson said the main object of the survey to be carried out this summer will be to map the distribution of the munitions, "particularly those located outwith the Beaufort Dyke's explosives disposal site."

There is concern about the new gas pipeline laid for British Gas by Premier Transco and calls to stop its commissioning prior to the completion of the survey. There have been a large number of seabed explosions in the area assumed to be munitions disturbed by pipelaying operations and there are worries about further explosions when the pipeline is commissioned and carrying high-pressure natural gas. Local MP George Foulkes has called for a halt to all commercial work in the area until after the survey results are known.

Premier Transco are considering an exclusion zone around part of the pipeline's path to prevent fishing activity disturbing more munitions. A fishermen's spokesman commented: "We can assume, we think correctly, that they do not want munitions to be rattled against their pipe by bottom towed gear."

News in Brief

Swedish nuclear phase-out

Sweden's ruling Social Democratic Party voted to begin immediately the phase-out of nuclear power by shutting one reactor by the end of 1998. Prime minister Goran Persson said phasing-out nuclear power was essential for an energy system which meets the demands of the next century and was the next major programme for his party.

Radiation Times

Radiation Times is the title of a new publication from the Low Level Radiation campaign. It is intended to make academic research on low-level radiation and health more widely available, to network information about effects near nuclear installations in the UK, and spread information about the campaign's research findings. Details from: The Low Level Radiation Campaign, 9 North Road, Builth Well, Powys, LD2 3BU (phone +44 (0)1982 552502)

Bellona worker still held

The Russian environmentalist Alexandr Nikitin who is working for the Norwegian group Bellona is still under arrest by the Russian Federal Security Bureau. Bellona and its workers have been harassed by the FSB over its work on nuclear pollution and waste in and around the Kola Peninsula and Mr Nikitin, a former nuclear inspector with the Soviet Navy, was arrested in February and charged with espionage. Bellona has been taking whatever legal actions it can to secure proper legal representation for Mr Nikitin and the latest news can be found at the group's Web pages [on the N-BASE links page].

US-Euratom Agreement - new protests

A number of environmental, non-proliferation and conservative groups have called upon the US Congress to refuse to ratify the proposed US-Euratom Agreement which will control future uses of US-originating fuel in Europe. The groups include Greenpeace, the Nuclear Control Institute, the Centre for National Security Policy, and the Business Executives for National Security who have all urged that either the new Agreement be rejected or amended significantly. About three-quarters of all reprocessed fuel in the Euratom member states is of US-origin and there is concern that the plutonium produced by reprocessing will increase the proliferation threat. The Agreement would allow members to use the fuel within Euratom with few limitations. The groups have also pointed out that former Eastern Bloc countries, where safety and security is less rigid, may soon join Euratom.

La Hague's leaky dump

There is poor monitoring and leaks into the environment at La Manche low and intermediate level radioactive waste dump next to the La Hague reprocessing complex in France according to an independent report. The report, from CRII-Rad - Independent Commission for Research and Information on Radioactivity - was commissioned by Greenpeace. The dump is managed by the National Agency for the Management of Radioactive Waste (ANDRA) and contains 525,000 cubic metres of waste. The report found iodine-129, which has a half-life of 15.7 million years, in 12 of 15 soil samples in a seven km radius around La Hague and tritium in four of 10 water samples and there was also evidence of strontium-90. CRII-Rad found that monitoring around the site did not cover a number of important radionuclides, including iodine-129, strontium-90 and carbon-14. ANDRA wants to close and cover the waste, much of which is already covered by layers of asphalt, soil and grass.

Sweden's change of mind ?

The Swedish Government is considering ways of stopping reprocessing of fuel now at Sellafield in the UK and getting it return for disposal. Swedish nuclear power operators have 140 tonnes of spent fuel at Sellafield, sent between 1975 and 1981, for reprocessing in the THORP plant. Sweden has since stopped reprocessing its spent fuel in favour of long-term storage and disposal and the environment ministry is now talking to the operators about bringing the fuel back to Sweden.

Ayrshire radon link

A link between radioactive radon gas, overhead high-voltage power cables and increased cancers in Shortlees, Kilmarnock, has been rejected by a study by Strathclyde Regional Council. Meters to measure radon were fitted in six houses for two days in Shortlees, where there have been nine cancer-related deaths in 15 years and a number of other residents are apparently receiving treatment. Radon levels were no higher than the Scottish average according to the tests which followed publication of a study by researchers at Bristol University which found that radon was attracted to high-voltage cables. (See Briefing 84) Residents were divided about the results. Some said they were re-assured while others said a test lasting just two days proved nothing. A community leader said if radon was not responsible for the cancers then further studies were required to find the cause.

Sailing to decommissioning

HMS Renown has become the eight nuclear submarine to be decommissioned. The 7,500 tonne Polaris class submarine has not returned to sea after a ś200 million refit in 1994 due to the reactor problems - one in a long list of problems for the vessel and her crew, who were tested for radiation exposure in 1989 after cracks were found in the reactor cooling system - there was another radiation leak in 1980. The Renown also collided with a cargo boat, hit the seabed, and suffered major reactor problems in her 28 year's active service. The UK would like to dump the hulls of decommissioned nuclear submarines in the sea - but have accepted that this is contrary to the London Convention ban on radioactive waste dumping at sea, even though technically the ban does not cover military vessels. The submarine has gone to Rosyth on the Firth of Forth to join the four decommissioned submarines are already berth there - HMS Dreadnought, Churchill, Swiftshaw and Revenge. The land-based reactor, HMS Vulcan, adjacent to Dounreay, is where the PWR submarine reactors were developed and where they have been trying to find a solution to the long-running problems with the reactor cooling systems.

Phebus meltdown results

Results from the first experimental meltdown at the French Phebus reactor at Cadarache has produced some unexpected results. The experiment was intended to provide information on the accuracy of computer models for meltdown accidents in reactors. The test took place in December 1993 and resulted in a radioactive gas leak from a safety valve. Only partial results have been release to the public, but these show the meltdown happened much earlier than expected and in a bigger area of the core. These results have lead to the second test being delayed from January 1995 to March 1996. This test will involve irradiated fuel, unlike the first test, which will come from the now closed BR-3 reactor in Belgium.

Spain's change of mind ?

The Spanish national radioactive waste agency ENRESA seems to have moved away from the unpopular proposal to building a deep underground dump in favour of long-term above-ground storage in special containers which have been developed in the US. However, ENRESA is also taking part in a joint study with the Swiss waste agency on high-level waste disposal in rock.

Commission's opinion

The European Commission has published its official opinion approving of the UK's plans for disposal of radioactive wastes and discharges resulting from the decommissioning of the Windscale AGR-reactor at Sellafield. The Commission found that "under normal operating conditions" or "in the event of unplanned" discharges of liquid and gaseous effluent are "not liable to result in radioactive contamination, significant from the point of view of health, of the water, soil or airspace of another member State." Ireland is the nearest member state, 180km away from Sellafield.

Chernobyl accident

Ukrainian authorities have released details of an accident at the Number one reactor at Chernobyl in November in which a worker was contaminated. The Ukrainian Ministry of Environment said "during the unsealing of a container with nuclear fuel, serious contamination occurred in the central hall of Chernobyl's first power unit. One person working in the hall received the equivalent of a year's permitted radiation."

Smokeless fuel cluster

Officials in Mid-Glamorgan are investigating a possible cancer cluster among workers at a smokeless fuel factory in Cynon Valley in Wales. The widows of 60 workers and several cancer sufferers are fighting for compensation from British Coal and Coal Products Limited. Several children have fallen ill after playing at the plant's toxic waste dump. The main work at the plant was to extract benzene and other pollutants from coal.

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Extracts from N-BASE Briefing 85 April 1996 - Other nuclear news