Trevor Sargent
Question:76 Mr. Sargent asked the Minister for Public Enterprise if she will rule out an increase in waste discharges from Sellafield as proposed by BNFL in a submission to the British Government (details supplied). [10820/02]
Written Answers. - Nuclear Plants.
The report which appeared in the 24 March edition of The Sunday Tribune referred to BNFL's response to the recent UK consultation document on radioactive waste management. According to the report, BNFL, in its response to the consultation document, informed the UK authorities that in order for BNFL to deal with the high level liquid waste stored in tanks at Sellafield and render it safe in the long-term by a process of vitrification or solidification, it will be necessary to increase discharges into the environment in the short-term.
The Government is totally opposed to radioactive discharges from Sellafield. It is also concerned from the safety viewpoint about the storage of the high level waste in liquid form in tanks at Sellafield and has been pressing the UK authorities for some years now to accelerate the current process of vitrifying the waste. This waste arises from the nuclear spent fuel reprocessing activities at Sellafield to which we are also totally opposed.
Any increases in radioactive discharges would be contrary to the commitment entered into in 1998 by the OSPAR contracting parties when they adopted the OSPAR strategy with regard to radioactive substances. That strategy has as its objective the virtual elimination of radioactive discharges by the year 2020 and commits the contracting parties, which include the UK, to progressive and substantial reductions in such discharges for meeting this objective.
With regard to the storage tanks themselves, the RPII concluded in its report, published in February 2000, of its examination of the safety related documentation relating to the storage tanks that "the risks associated with the storage of waste in liquid form be minimised as soon as possible by increasing the rate of vitrification or decreasing the output of the Magnox or Thorp reprocessing plants, or by a combination of both".
I reject any suggestion that an increase in the rate of vitrification justifies an increase in radioactive discharges. The liquid waste arises from BNFL's reprocessing activities and BNFL's current vitrification capacity is not capable of keeping pace with the volume of liquid waste arising. As far as the Government is concerned, BNFL, in order to implement the speedy vitrification of the backlog of liquid waste and prevent further hazardous waste, should cease its reprocessing activities immediately. The Government will continue to pursue all realistic means, both diplomatic and legal, to bring about the cessation of operations at Sellafield, including the reprocessing operations.
Question No. 77 answered with Question No. 20.