To mark the 66th anniversary of the Windscale Fire -the worst nuclear accident in the UK (October 10th 1957) the Close Capenhurst Campaign and Lakes Against Nuclear Dump present the George Monbiot Nukiller Greenwash Award to Labour Leader Keir Starmer and Labour’s Workington and Whitehaven candidate Josh MacAliste
At present there are a number of issues and projects which we are working upon.
These include noting the anniversary of the Widscale fire which took place on October 10th 1957. On that anniversary we will be announing the 2023 winners of the George Monbiet Nukiller Greenwash award.
While we will soon be printing an update to the Beware nukiller waste trains leaflet. This is the one which is handed out at the various stations they go though. It has been writen in such a way that it can very easily be monified to include your local information.
Current Issues List
While there are a lot of individuals focused upon the continuous disaster at Fukushima, and the situation with regards the nukiller reactors in the Ukraine, we do have to focus our attention upon the following crisis Issues.
They are as follows –
– The treat of New Build, which includes Bradwell, Hinkley, Sizewell, and Wylfa.
– The transport of High level Nukiller waste by DRS though our towns and cities.
– The road transport of Uranium Hex.
– Springfield.
– Capenhurst and Urenco.
– Drigg.
– Windscale / Sellafield.
– The proposed long term nukiller waste dumps in Cumbria and other locations.
– All the Radioactive waste which is and has been discharged into the sea.
– The movement of highly radioactive materials via Barrow Docks.
– Both the mining and processing Uranium.
While we need to keep showing the links between Nukiller Weapons and Nukiller Power.
How nukiller power is a major cause of global warming.
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Campaign to stop more Astute Class Nukiller submarines being built at Barrow.
To do all of the above we need many more activists, and many more donations to help us continue with our campaigning work.
Short News Items
‘ Uranium spells out nuclear future’.
Of Particular note is the following: –
‘ — recently, political instability in Niger has also prompted a price increase in uranium. According to Reuters a military coup in Niger saw prices rise even though mining operations have continued in what is a top 10 uranium producer.’
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‘ Uranium supply giant Kazatomprom also issued its second quarter trading update, noting that average realized price for the first half of 2023 was higher compared to the same period in 2022. ‘
‘ The Warrington-based firm’s client roster, which includes Urenco, Sellafield, and Canadian Nuclear Laboratories, will complement Hydrock’s existing relationships in the sector. ‘
This issue of Countering Capenhurst follows on from the meeting we had with the DRS management in April, and covers some of the other campaigns which we support.
On May 16th three flasks were taken from Windsale / Sellafield to Crewe. Eight days later there were more flasks being moved along this route. Then on May 18th flasks were observed being moved from Torness to the DRS depot at Carlisle.
We have recently learnt that there are on average 8 flask movements to Windscale / Sellafield each week.
So here are just a few of the recent ones which we are aware about taking place.
– On June 3rd June 10, June 24th and July 1st
– To & from Heysham on May 25th , June 1st.
Last Four Flasks Photo
The cover of the August 2023 issue of Today’s Railways UK shows two DRS engines taking the last four flasks being taken from Hunterston to Windscale / Sellafield on November 9th 2021.
Waste Flask Concerns
At 17.50 on June 8th Four flasks were spotted being transported south just outside of Carlisle on the way to Sellafield / Windscale.
These flasks passed a Northern Rail passenger train which was going north at the time.
Upon arriving at Carlisle it was possible to have a word with the Northern Rail driver who confirmed that they are given no special instructions about just what to do should they encounter a DRS derailment, etc.
This confirms exactly what we have always suspected to be the case.
From another source it has be confirmed that eight waste flask trains travel along the West Coast [ Sellafield / Windscale ] each week.
World Ocean Day Event.
On June 8th we were in Whitehaven. This was to hand over following letter and petition opposing any further “investigations” into a deep nukiller dump under the Lake District Coast is to be delivered to the Marine Management Organisation.
Anyone who is interested in campaigning about what goes on along the west Cumbrian coast should examine the historic Godfrey edition ordinance survey maps.
After the meeting DRS offered to pay our travel expenses which we refused to take. This is so we can both be, and be seen to be, completley independent of them. Thus we will continue to maintain our independent critical stance.
We will now be going through the answers which we received to our various questions, and consider just how we will follow up on our campaign.
Flask Movements
Youtube Video clips.
One aspect of our work is to view various videos of nukiller flask movements. Here are a few from which you can clearly see some of the issues which concern us about what happens at both Bridgewater and Dungeness.
As many of you might know, DRS transport Castor Nukiller flasks between the Barrow docks and Windscale/Sellafield.
We know something about the various tests that have been made on the standard ones which are transported between Windscale / Sellafield the various Brexitland reactor sites.
What we don’t have is any information about the crash, heat resistance, and fall tests which the Castor flasks have been subjected to.
We need this information in order to do a comparison between the two flask types.
If any of you help us with any information on this, then we would be extremely grateful !
German Celebrations and Continuing Our Campaigning
Now that we can celebrate the closure of the last 3 working Nukiller reactors in Germany, it should not be forgotten that the radiative waste they generated is still a major problem which will take many centuries to clean up.
While we still have the ongoing waste issue at Drigg and Windscale / Sellafield and the used fuel rods being transported by DRS to campaign about,
Plus the campaigns to Stop New Build.
So it is a good time to remind activists in Germany that our struggles continue, and we can still use some help from them all.
Open consultations
As a part of our campaigning we do need to work at every level of society, and undertake a wide range of activities. That includes participation on various consultations.
Here are links to two current open open consultations.
This issue of Countering Capenhurst comes at a time when there are a number of ongoing changes which we need to focus upon, especially as new build seems to be back on the agenda, while a lot of crazy proposals are being made about just where to bury nukiller waste.
We are also very concerned about the current & future construction of Astute Class Nukiller submarines at Barrow, especially as it will produce yet more radioactive waste over the coming decades.
DRS
Flask Movements
On December 22nd two flasks were taken from Crewe to Sellafield, while on February 4th a single flask was taken from Sellafield via Barrow to Crewe.
Direct Rail Services open day to become biennial event
Energoatom Agrees With Britain’s Urenco To Supply Enriched Uranium From 2026
‘ “On December 19, Energoatom President Petro Kotin and Urenco Chief Executive Officer Boris Schucht met online. They discussed the issue of increasing the supply of enriched uranium to Westinghouse for the production of nuclear fuel for Ukrainian nuclear power plants over 2024-2025 years. In addition, the heads of companies agreed on long-term cooperation in the supply of enriched uranium for Energoatom from 2026,”
EDF Energy ‘protests too much’ over impact of Windfall Tax on ageing reactors
‘ EDF has complained that the British Government’s windfall tax, introduced on 1 January, may mean an early end for operations at Hartlepool & Heysham 1, but the Nuclear Free Local Authorities believe that these could be ‘crocodile tears.’
The latest issue of the Stop Hinkley newsletter contains a update upon the continuing problem of building of the Hinkley C plant, and the road movement of the nukiller flasks to Bridgewater for transporting to Windscale / Sellafield by DRS.
‘ London Mining Network (LMN) is an alliance of human rights, development, environmental and solidarity groups.
We work for
· human rights, including the rights of Indigenous Peoples and workers, and
· sustainable development (development which meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs) in communities around the world affected by the activities of mining companies based in or funded from London.’
On special interest is the campaigning work which LMN focuses upon is Uranium mining.
On Saturday March 11th we held an event outside of the Springfields plant.
While Kick Nuclear held a Vigil to mark the 12th anniversary of the Nukiller Disaster ar Fukushima.
The Springfields event was organised in conjunction with Radiation Free Lacklands, and attracted activists from .
The following statement was read outside of both the Japanese Embassy and Springfields plant.
Dear Supporters, Activists and Friends ,
This year is the 12th anniversary since the worst nuclear power accidents in the world happened at Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant on 11 th March 2011. 3 reactors are still melting down and radioactive wastewater is generated everyday. Over 1.3 million tonnes contaminated/treated water is going to be discharged into the Pacific from spring/summer this year.
On top of this unwelcome decision by Government/TEPCO, the Japanese government announced recently that they are changing the energy policy to encourage the restart of the idled nuclear power plants and build more new Small Module Reactors to secure the energy supply. This is very sad news for us who had been campaigning to promote more renewable source of energy.
Another terrible policy change by the Japanese government is the sudden increase of military budget from 1% of GDP to 2% during 2023 to 2027. The government is overriding the article 9 of Constitution.
We must stand in front of the Japanese Embassy and show our strong opposition to these changes in its policies.
In Peace and Solidarity,
Shigeo Kobayashi
Ann Kobayashi
David Polden
Ann Garrett
on behalf of Japanese Against Nuclear – UK and Kicknuclear
This issue of Countering Capenhurst is an information update.
DRS
The Return of Thomas the Stank Engine – Part Two
On July 16th we went back to Crewe in order to communicate with those who attended the DRS open day event.
Despite the few of us who turned upon the day, we did manage to distribute just over two thousand leaflets. The DRS Website stated that Three and a half thousand people attended the event.
If anyone is interested in them, then we do have some of the current Thomas the Stank Engine leaflets which can be used at other events.
Out next task will be to draft a leaflet which focuses upon some of the route that the waste flasks are carried along, and the specific dangers that they posse.
DRS Open Day Videos.
Every time there is a DRS Open day event it is followed by many train spotter Youtube videos.
Here are just two examples of what they look like.
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There is also the following which looks like it copies DRS propaganda.
There is also a half page colour photograph of the event in the August issue of the Railway Magazine. This is an aerial view which shows something of the scale of the event.
Short News Items
More Power to Millom: NFLA backs new protest group opposed to nuclear waste dump
This well researched book gives a good oversight of the Nukiller disasters, and very many near disasters, which have happened over the years.
It covers both Nukiller Weapons and Nukiller Power.
Website Updates
We have recently been updating what is included upon the CCC website.
The most important change is that we now have the following:-
Forthcoming Protests and Events.
This replaces the ongoing lists which have been included within Countering Capenhurst.
Previous Protests
This lists all of our previous events and protests.
We have also updated the description of our work in the About page.
All of these changes should make our website less clunky to navigate.
At various towns.
During the last couple of years it has been very difficult to organise any events, or distribute any leaflets at the various places which are immediately effected by the nukiller industry.
Thus we look forward to being more proactive again.
But we still need to have more activists within the following towns: –
Chester, Ellesmere Port, Preston, Runcorn, Warrington, and Wigan.
Financial help.
Unlike many large or membership organisations, all of our work is finances my a small number of donations.
Neither do we employ any campaign workers.
So all of our income goes directly in to the work we are engaged upon.
We are currently working upon putting together our campaign budget in order to produce a financial appeal.
This will be published within the next couple of months.
In the Meanwhile.
We are appealing for money so that we can get out to hold more events, and cover our ongoing expenses.
To mark the anniversary of the 1957 Windscale [ Sellafield ] fire in Cumbria, the Close Capenhurst Campaign and Radiation Free Lakeland have awarded the second George Monbiot Award to Copeland and Allerdale Borough Councils.
The award is being given to the West Cumbrian councils for the following reasons: –
Supporting the nuclear power industry in expansion at Sellafield and other areas in Cumbria.
Failing to take any meaningful measures to hold Sellafield to account in the ongoing radioactive pollution in the immediate area and beyond for example on West Cumbrian beaches where radioactive particles are routinely found as a result of historic and continued routine and accidental discharges.
Supporting the Cumbria Coal Mine which would result in subsidence and resuspension of radioactive wastes from the Sellafeld Mud Patch beneath the Irish Sea resulting in more radioactive partlcles on the beaches.
Partnering with Nuclear Waste Services in the Siting of a Geological Disposal Facility (aka nuclear dump) under the Irish Sea, alongside the proposed West Cumbria Coal Mine, without reference to a democratic vote by the full Borough Councils or by the public.
The award certificate will be sent to all members of Copeland and Allerdale Borough Council. The first recipient of the award was the Springfields Nuclear Fuel Manufacturing Plant near Preston which is now calling itself the “Clean Energy Technology Park” as it gears up to produce high burn uranium fuel for planned new nuclear reactors in the UK and in an unprecedented act of hubris is planning to incinerate radioactive wastes from across Europe 24/7.
Mining, Transporting, and processing of Uranium increases the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere, as does the use of vast amounts of concrete used in the building of nuclear reactors. This is before all of the energy used and CO2 created in processing or storing all of the highly radioactive waste after these reactors have been supposedly ‘decommissioned’. Radioactive carbon is produced during the nuclear fuel cycle and by nuclear weapons – inhalation is dangerous to all biota. Radioactive carbon that is incorporated into the body will remain there and emit radiation disrupting DNA and increasing the likelihood of health defects which will be passed on to offspring in a snowball effect. Future generations will bear the brunt of radioactive carbon released by the nuclear industry.
RADIOACTIVE POLLUTION
The Springfields Nuclear Fuel Manufacturing plant operated by Westinghouse is at the beginning of the process which has led to nuclear accidents and routine emissions of radionuclides such as radioactive carbon, cesium, strontium and host of other damaging and very long lived radionuclides. Incredibly Springfields has rebranded itself as a “Clean Energy Technology Park.” The nuclear industry is increasingly promoting itself as “clean” and “renewable,” George Monbiot has played a key part in facilitating this dangerous rebrand.
About the Award
The award itself is a tarnished gold coloured cup, made in low quality plastic, symbolising the ecologically damaging nature of the nukiller industry.
Each year the cup will be awarded to other parts of the nukiller industry in order to highlight the irreparable damage they are doing to the environment and to public health. Nuclear sacrifice zones are increasingly a consequence of nuclear power as are the increasing number of people suffering from radiation linked diseases for which the industry has a Compensation scheme for its workforce. No such scheme exists for members of the public impacted by accidents such as the Windscale Fire, fueled by nuclear fuel made at Springfields.
The cup itself will held in safe keeping by the two campaigns in a bid to protect it from radioactive damage by the award winners.
Extract: The element carbon is found in all organic substances. Carbon is also a primary constituent of greenhouse gases that are responsible for climate change, such as carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4). Carbon-14 (c-14) is a radioactive form of carbon that occurs in nature and is also newly formed in nuclear power processes. Carbon-14 is a health concern because it is released from nuclear power facilities as radioactive carbon dioxide and methane, traveling readily in the local and global environment. Over time, carbon-14 becomes part of organic material including food, and has a half-life of approximately 5,730 years, decaying by a type of radioactive particle called a beta. Its hazardous life is 10-20 times its half-life, meaning that harmful exposure to man-made carbon-14 can last for hundreds of generations. The radioactive carbon forms as a byproduct of fissioning of uranium fuel, through a process called activation. The final step is a chemical reaction between carbon-14 and oxygen or hydrogen, which forms methane or carbon dioxide. The radioactive carbon-14 formed by this process is brand new and would not exist without nuclear fission. During its long hazardous life, carbon-14 could be responsible for gross physical or mental defects, stillbirths and childhood deaths, embryonic and neonatal deaths into the many millions over the life of the isotope. These millions could be underestimated five times or more. Carbon-14 could also be responsible for leukemia, bone and other cancers.
Over the last few months we have been working with the NFLA to list our main concerns about the movement of highly radioactive materials via rail, and in particular used fuel rods to Sellafield/Windscale.
These concerns and numerous questions about the safety of the fuel flasks has just been communicated to DRS.