Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 24 March 2015
909. Deputy Anne Ferris asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if any agency of his Department has prepared a submission or is otherwise involved in consultation regarding the ongoing approval process by the Office for Nuclear Regulation for the Westinghouse nuclear reactor in Cumbria, England; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11935/15]
View answerIreland has been regularly involved in the consultation process on the new-build nuclear programme in the UK since the programme was announced in 2009. Ireland's priority is the safety of the Irish people and the protection of our environment, including the shared marine environment of the Irish Sea. In this regard, my Department and the EPA's Office of Radiological Protection (formerly the Radiological Protection Institute of Ireland or RPII) meet regularly with their UK counterparts on the new nuclear build plans to seek information and highlight any concerns Ireland may have.
While the Westinghouse AP1000 reactor was considered in the context of a Report published by the RPII in May 2013 on the potential radiological implications for Ireland of the proposed nuclear power plants in the UK, no specific submission was made in relation to it.
The RPII Report found that the routine operation of the proposed nuclear power plants will have no measurable radiological impact on Ireland or the Irish marine environment. The Report is available at the following link: http://www.epa.ie/pubs/reports/radiation/proposednuclearpowerplantinuk.html.
