Author: martynlowe

MOD lists places where radioactive waste from decommissoned nukiller submarines might be stored.

The MOD has proposed a number of places where the radioactive waste parts from 27 nukiller submarines might be stored.

One of these sites is Capenhurst.

Here is a selection of local newspaper stories about this issue.

Capenhurst Nuclear Services shortlisted to store radioactive
parts from nuclear subs

Borough shortlisted for nuclear submarine work

MOD rules out nuclear submarine waste dump site at Devonport

Public consultation raises concerns about lorries in Burghfield
and Theale carrying radioactive submarine waste

 

Background Reports.

The Nuclear Free Local Authorities Briefing:-
Radioactive Scrap Metal.

Chatham an urban nuclear waste dump and a lasting legacy of the nuclear submarine programme

This is the official MOD information on this issue:-

Open consultation
Submarine Dismantling Project: site for the interim storage of Intermediate Level radioactive Waste

We are currently working to produce a CCC briefing upon this
issue. This will be completed within the next couple of weeks.

Lobbying for independent radiation monitoring in the North West.

Radiation Free Lakeland are lobbying for independent radiation monitoring in the North West. This used to be carried out by Radiation Monitoring in Lancashire – RADMIL – which was disbanded a few years ago due to council cuts.

A draft letter which you can send to the Chief Scientist at Lancashire County Scientific Services can be found upon the Radiation Free Lakeland website.

http://mariannewildart.wordpress.com/2014/09/07/independent-radiation-monitoring-in-nw-what/

Picket at Urenco Almelo Plant.

Press release on the actions against the visit of NIS-participants to Urenco Almelo.

Almelo, Netherlands.  March 25th  2014.

Ten protesters, five OSCE-observers, fifteen press people and  five police officers. That was the crowd present at the protest against the delegation of the Nuclear Industry Summit  that visited Urenco in the context of the contribution the industrial sector was able to deliver to nuclear security. A big joke, according to the organisers belonging to “Enschede voor Vrede”, since especially Urenco contributed heavily to nuclear insecurity.
Not only was the fuel used in the nuclear plant of Fukushima delivered by Urenco, through the espionage activities of Abdul Qadeer Khan Urenco is also at the very base of the nuclear arms programs of Pakistan, Iran and North Korea.

Currently the Dutch government is considering to sell its share in Urenco, but facing the very limited number of nuclear entrepreneurs visiting Urenco today, the interest in Urenco is low. According to “Enschede voor Vrede” it is also better to close the whole company.

A delegation of “Enschede voor Vrede” also took part in the picketline that was organized Monday morning March 24 against the Nuclear Industry Summit that in turn was organizes in the former Amsterdam stock exchange building by Urenco and the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs that should monitor the security of Urencos nuclear activities. This Amsterdam picketline was formed by about 60 antinuclear activists. After this picketline, some of the participants, including the delegation from Enschede, went to a demonstration against the Nuclear Security Summit in The Hague where they were arrested already after a 200 meters march and held in custody for about six hours.

In Almelo the mass protest even got the honour of being the first demonstration to which a very recently developed security system has been applied. Whether this system functioned well or not is unknown to the organizers. They have informed the OSCE observers about this.

An open letter to the staff and management of the Office for Nuclear Regulation.

Fukushima Day – March 11th 2014

An open letter to the staff and management of the Office for Nuclear Regulation.

We are here to mark Fukushima day, and to register our concerns about the nukiller industry.

The Office for Nuclear Regulation’s mission statement of aims include:-
‘in securing nuclear safety and security in the UK and influencing global safety and security standards.’

– Yet there in no such thing as a safe atomic reactor.

The continuing disasters at Chernobyl and Fukushima clearly illustrate just how dangerous these plants can be.

– It is no use working to make the reactors safe, while there is no safe way to deal with the long lasting radioactive which they produce.

– Rising see levels which will endanger & engulf the plants within the next 35 – 50 years.

That is many years before plants like Bradwell, Sizewell, Heysham, & Dungeness have been decommissioned. The resent storms around the coasts of Britain cleanly illustrate just what will happen in the very near future.

We urge you all to consider these long term issues and work to change their aims of the Office for Nuclear Regulation to become that of safely closing down all nukiller plants.

PRESS RELEASE 17th February 2014

Radioactive Waste from nuclear-powered submarines may be stored at Capenhurst.
On 13th February 2014 B.B.C News reported that the Ministry of Defence is considering the URENCO-owned Capenhurst as a storage facility for radioactive waste from disused nuclear submarines.

This announcement raises numerous questions and concerns. For example, what precautions are going to be implemented to ensure that this waste does not contaminate the surrounding environment and, furthermore, what methods will be used to store it.

The prospect of radioactive material being kept at Capenhurst will no doubt worry those in the local community, not least because there is a primary school just yards from the plant. Continue reading PRESS RELEASE 17th February 2014

Why Capenhurst?

The URENCO owned Capenhurst Uranium Enrichment plant
plays a key roll in the production of Nuclear power.

Nuclear power is both very dangerous, and will leave us with a
radioactive legacy which will last many thousands of years.

What goes on at the Capenhurst plant is a danger to us all.

The Close Capenhurst Campaign aims to close down the plant,
and promote alternatives to such establishments.

As a part of the campaign we will be holding a serious of public
meetings in the next few months, which will be followed by a
number of other events.

Come join us in this campaign !

URENCO Declaration 1978

24th June 1978

As an alliance of groups and individuals, we declare our total and uncompromising opposition to URENCO and in particular to the supply of enriched uranium by URENCO to the military dictatorship in Brazil.

No safeguards are adequate to prevent the diversion of nuclear material for the production of nuclear weapons.

Brazil has refused to sign even the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, and has made no secret of its intention to manufacture “Peaceful” nuclear bombs.

The supply of enriched uranium is a particularly clear example of the way nuclear power threatens all living creatures and their natural environment, concentrates power in the hands of a
few, necessitates a military style secrecy and undermines the principles of human liberty. This deal would be another irrevocable step towards a future of which we want no part.

Our stand is in defence of the health and safety of ourselves, future generations, and all living things on this planet.

We therefore demand an immediate halt to –

1. The plans to supply enriched uranium to Brazil.

2. The marketing of nuclear technology by URENCO.

We declare our determination to –

1. Provoke public discussion about the operation of URENCO and all its contracts.

2. Prevent the importing of uranium mined in violation of the land rights of people anywhere in the world: e.g. Australia, Namibia and Brazil.

And Announce that we are prepared to take all non-violent steps necessary to achieve these ends.

Published by Stop URENCO Alliance.

Stop Urenco Alliance Activities 1978

 

From the Activist Archive —-

published by WISE Bulletin in July 1978

Japan and Australia plan enrichment

Australia and Japan are discussing a joint project for uranium enrichment. This is a logical step for Australia, with its key position as world supplier. But it needs help with the heavy cost of an enrichment plant. Japan, totally dependent on out-side supplies, is the obvious partner. The most likely technique is the centrifuge, and URENCO (them again !) have offered their help with building it. Delegations from the Australian Atomic Energy Commission and the Japanese government and Power Reactor and Nuclear Fuel Development Corp. met on April 19 for talks. They set the second half of the ’80s as a target date.
Source/ MAUM 277 Brunswick St., Fitzroy

URENCO battle spreads to Britain

On June 24,400 people took part in a first demonstration against the URENCO centrifugal enrichment plant at Capenhurst. This was the outcome of a determined effort to spread opposition to the British-Dutch-German project. Capenhurst (Cheshire) is a twin plant to the one at Almelo, expansion of which was decided at the end of June (See Politics) despite major Dutch opposition. It is feared that some or all of URENCO’s commitment to supply enriched uranium to Brazil could be met from Capenhurst. The British partner in URENCO has been pushing for its share of the deal – despite the lack of guarantees that Brazil will not make weapons.

Some 60 Dutch and British activists got together during the demo. against the Torness reactor, in May, and the “Stop URENCO Alliance” was formed, made up of Greenpeace, CIMRA, FoE local groups, SCRAM (opposition to Torness), SERA, and anarchist groups. The Capenhurst demo. is the first stage in a campaign to inform UK opinion. (In a recent parliamehtary debate, the UK foreign secretary muddled enrichment and reprocessing, and no-one reacted !).

The Torness and Capenhurst demo’s also mark the start of a new readiness in the UK anti-nuke movement to use direct action.
Contact/ Stop URENCO Alliance
c/o 6 Endsleigh Rd. – London W.C. 1
Tel. 44-1-3875370 (Greenpeace) 44-1-4393749 (SERA)
44-1-2630253 (CIMRA)