Category: Previous Protests

Countering Capenhurst – June 2022

The Return of Thomas the Stank Engine

The next DRS [ Direct Rail Services ] open day will be on Saturday July 16th at Crewe.

As in previous years we will be outside the DRS depot to leaflet the event from 10.30. onwards.

Short News Items

UKRAINIAN “ENERGOATOM” MAY INCREASE PURCHASES OF URANIUM

Energoatom Refuses To Purchase Uranium Concentrate In Russia, Plans To Increase Its Supplies From UK URENCO

Small nuclear reactors produce ’35x more waste’ than big plants.

Stop Seismic Testing

We have joined with others to oppose the proposed Objection to Seismic Blasting in the Irish Sea to test the geology for a deep geological nuclear facility for heat generating nuclear wastes.seismic testing of the coast of Cumbria.

Objection to Seismic Blasting in the Irish Sea to test the geology for a deep geological nuclear facility for heat generating nuclear wastes.

Countering Capenhurst – End of year 2021

Recent Developments and a lot of future campaign work to do.

Much of the recent news about nukiller power has concentrated on the prospect of more new reactors at such places as Sizewell, as well the development of Small Nukiller Reactors.

This can be summed up as yet another threat to produce much more radioactive waste, which we will all land up having to pay for, both financially and in terms of ill health.

It all needs to be stopped, but do still keep in mind that do need many more activists to focus upon Capenhurst, Drigg, Sellafield/Windscale, Springfields, and the DRS nukiller waste trains.

Short news updates

Greenland.

Greenland prepares legislation to ban uranium exploration and mining.

Which was followed up with: –

Greenland puts a stop to uranium mining

Babcock

Nukiller Submarine Company Babcock has made a £1.6bn loss during the last financial year.

Flood Alert

At the end of October there was a flood alert for the West Coast of Cumbria.

This included the River Calder which runs through the middle of the Sellafield Plant, and the area around the Radioactive waste dump at Drigg.

ONR Capenhurst Report

The following is from the Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR)Site Report for Capenhurst Works Report for period 1 April – 30 June 2021.

‘ Legacy waste was discovered on a plant despite a prior campaign by Urenco UK Ltd to remove this type of waste, this was communicated to ONR via the event reporting process. ONR will now follow-up with the licensee anyresulting actions,during routine engagements, to ensure any improvements necessary are implemented.’

We make no comment upon this.

Capenhurst To Take in Radioactive Waste.

The following was published in Cheshire Live on November 5 – Guy Fawkes Day.

‘ Radioactive waste will be transported into Chester village.

5,000 tonnes of radioactive waste is set to be brought into the area every year.’

That is if the proposal to process low level radioactive waste at Capenhurst is approved.

DRS Updates

Flask Movements.

On both August 11th and August 24th flasks were observed coming from Windscale / Sellafield.

While on October 6th flasks were observed at Dungeness.

Then on October 20th there were two flasks taken from Dungeness.

Following On – An Appeal for Help.

Follow on from the news that nukiller waste is to be taken through to Capenhurst.

The video on this news story is worth noting. A reading of 88 from the vehicles outside the plant.

Yet that is not being picked up by many people.

What we now need is a good rad meter which we can use outside of nukiller plants around the Nukiller North West, and places like the beech at St Bees in Cumbria.

Thus this appeal for donations which can be used to buy a unit which can be used by both the Close Capenhurst Campaign and Radiation Free Lakelands.

If anyone would like to help this way then please let us know, and we will pass on info about the account details.

Background Reading

“Low-carbon” misses the point

‘The view that climate protection requires expanding nuclear power has a basic flaw in its prevailing framing.’

Forthcoming Events

URENCO at 52

On March 4th it will be 52 years since the founding of URENCO with Treaty of Almelo.

When the 50th anniversary of the treaty occurred in 2020 we stated that was nothing to celebrate.

We will be going back to the plant on March 4th to repeat this statement.

Countering Capenhurst – Spring 2020

Capenhurst 50 years on

On March 4th there was a none alcoholic celebration of the founding of URENCO in the Capenhurst staff canteen.

While we were outside the plant holding a none celebratory event.

Upon assembling at the entrance to the plant we noted two French vehicles with radioactive markings on them.

As we left there was a radiation reading taken from them.

These reading and a report of the event are to be found of the Radiation Free Lakeland website.

50 Years of “Enriching the Future”

&

Protesters call for Capenhurst nuclear plant to be closed down.

Demonstration held as Urenco celebrated its 50th birthday.

New Guidelines

The UK government has published the following set of guidelines.

Shipping radioactive sources between the UK and EU from 1st January 2021

Some of the processes that operators will need to follow when shipping radioactive sources to and from EU countries will change from 1 January 2021.

It makes for some interesting reading.

Future Events.

We will be back leafleting again at the DRS open day event in July.

&

Marking holding an event to mark the anniversary of the 63nd Anniversary Of The Windscale Fire on October 10th.

REMEMBER The WINDSCALE FIRE.

A Vigil to REMEMBER WINDSCALE – 10th Oct 2pm Outside Springfields

On the 62nd Anniversary of the UKs first nuclear accident a Vigil will be held outside Springfields Nuclear Fuels, Near Preston.

Radiation Free Lakeland and Close Capenhurst >ask others to join them on the 10th October at 2pm outside Springfields, Salwick. Nr Preston, in remembering the UKs first nuclear accident. The UKs first nuclear accident took place at Windscale in Cumbria. The fuel for this disaster was made at Springfields near Preston.

The Windscale fire caused widespread radioactive pollution including plutonium and the deadly poison polonium over a wide area of the UK and Europe. The health impacts are still being felt now decades later. Campaigners are calling for an end to the manufacture of nuclear fuel at the Springfields site.

Springfields has fuelled nuclear reactors both here in the UK and overseas since the 1940s and is gearing up to produce the uranium fuel for the next generation of nuclear reactors including that of Hinkley Point C.

Marianne Birkby from Radiation Free Lakeland said “Springfields has been fuelling nuclear accidents alongside routine emissions for decades. As with Sellafield there will be jobs at Springfields for many years to come in “clean up” but as for dangerous new uranium based fuels and the growing tsunami of nuclear wastes, there is not enough fossil fuel and steel in the world to make sarcophagus after sarcophagus to protect the public from the nuclear industry’s ambitions enough is enough”.

Radiation Free Lakeland and Close Capenhurst have been lobbying Lancaster City Council and others to include a No New Nuclear clause in their climate emergency planning. At the presentation of an almost 500 signature strong petition, Lancaster City Council were however not minded to include a No New Nuclear clause. Campaigners say that this nuclear complacency is dangerous : “The nuclear industry despite being a ‘mature’ technology is still a bottomless drain on the public purse. Not only does nuclear take money away from genuine solutions but it has, for decades, been actively suppressing renewables and energy efficiencies in order to leave some room in the grid for nuclear. Salters Duck and unlimited wave power was killed off by the nuclear industry. The nuclear industry is now promoting itself as ‘part of the solution’ this is dangerous nonsense and is the reason why we asked on the 25th September that Lancaster City Council include a No New Nuclear Clause in your Climate Emergency Plans. We hope that you reconsider this request as there must be No New Nuclear here or anywhere else if we are to achieve a sustainable future in the UK.”

Another critic of Springfields continued manufacture of uranium nuclear fuel is energy expert Dr Paul Dorfman ‘Given the very significant radiological risk associated with production at Springfields, and the fact that major population centres are down-wind, it’s truly astonishing that more attention hasn’t been paid to this facility. ‘

Dr Paul Dorfman

The Energy Institute

University College London

No New Nuclear in Climate Planning petition to Lancaster City Council

Countering Capenhurst – Summer 2018

Statement by Dr Paul Dorfman

There is no question but there are very real concerns about the lack of transparency surrounding Capenhurst’s activities  the adequacy of nuclear safeguards at Capenhurst Environmental and public health risks associated with Capenhurst’s routine operations as well as incidents and accidents Capenhursts management of uranium hexafluoride.

Fukushima Contrasts

If anyone wants to know just what the ONR [ Office for Nuclear Regulation ] has to say about the ongoing disaster at Fukushima, then they should read the following: –

Fukushima and the UK nuclear industry

That report was penned in 2011, and they have added nothing to it since then.

In contrast Kick Nuclear has been producing the regular Fukushima Updates.

The latest of which is to be found here.

More on Uranium exports to Russia.

Radiation Free Lakeland published this very useful article on the sale of Uranium products to Russia.
The Beautiful Game?  

EXPORT OF URANIUM PRODUCTS TO RUSSIA FROM PRESTON “IS IMPORTANT” to the UK.

As we keep saying: –

These sales raise many very worrying concerns, while the details of these exports are surrounded in secrecy.

DRS Open Day – July 2018- A summary report

July 21st was the 5th time that we have gone to a DRS Open Day event.

This year, despite our not being able to get more activists to turn up on the day, we did never the less managed to hand out some 2,500 leaflets in just under four hours.

While inside the depot there was a nukiller waste train wagon on display.

You can view them upon just some of the youtube videos of the event here, here, & here.

What strikes us about this is that DRS are now aiming to normalise seeing these waste flasks.

Next year we will be at the DRS Open Day at Carlisle, where we will be organising a protest in the company of our fellow activists from Radiation Free Lakelands.

Anniversaries & Forthcoming Events

August 4th – St Bees, Cumbria.

Radiation Free Lakeland [ RFL ] has sent an urgent to Sellafield, asking them to monitor and retrieve radioactive particles from St bees beach ahead of the Cumbria Wildlife Trust ‘Beached Art’ day on Sunday August 4th.

Sellafield have treated this straightforward request under Freedom of Information rules which means that there will not be a reply for at least a month, and even then they might have to pay for the request to be answered.

The request has been sparked by a citizen science project carried out by Radiation Free Lakeland volunteers in collaboration with nuclear science undergraduates at Worcester Polytechnic Institute in the US.‘

In the absence of any warnings from the authorities, RFL will once again be at the beach at St Bees to leaflet and warn people about the very real possibility of their children (or pregnant mothers) ingesting radioactive cesium, americium and plutonium.

August 6th – Hiroshima Day.

August 9th – Nagasaki Day.

October 10th – Springfields

We will be back at the Springfields plant to mark 61 years since the Windscale Fire.

July 2019

The next DRS Open Day will take place at their depot at Carlisle.

We will be back to leaflet the event in the company of our fellow activists from Radiation Free Lakeland.

Thomas the Stank Engine

Thomas the Stank Engine got his name because he hauls DRS [Direct Rail Services] train wagons, which contain very stinky, very dirty, and very nasty nukiller waste.

Come Join us as we tell the tale of Thomas and his mates!

Distribute this information outside any of the railway stations which Thomas passes through.

 

Countering Capenhurst – April/May 2018

H&S Executive Petition

On monday February 19th we attempted to hand in a petition to the Health and Safety Executive office at Bootle.

In it we asked for them in there role as protectors of the Health and Safety of UK citizens, to urge HM Government to effect an immediate ban on the extraction of fossil fuels within 10 miles of Nuclear Installations.

Noted in the ONR report.

We noted the following within the Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR)

Site Report for Urenco UK Limited (UUK) Capenhurst

Report for period Jan – Jun 2017

‘ Tails Management Facility (TMF) Project

The TMF programme and permissioning Hold Point Control Plan are subject to continued delay and uncertainly. To enable and monitor progress, ONR holds regular meetings with UCP to discuss the recommendations that ONR requires to be addressed prior to ONR permissioning active commissioning of the TMF.

Just what these delays and uncertainties might be is a very interesting indeed.

New UK Government Regulations

Civil liberties are a continuing concern for anyone who is involved in campaiging against nukiller power.

That is why we have noted the following: –

The Nuclear Security (Secretary of State Security Directions) Regulations 2018

As with all such acts and regulations, it is how they are used which worries us most.

Resist Uranium Mining

Uranium mining starts the a whole cycle of radioactive pollution which ends up at places like Capenhurst, Sellafield, and Drigg.

So Stopping the nukiller power industry starts with resisting Uranium mining, such as has happened in Australia.

Submarine Waste

An update on the Radioactive submarine waste which will be stored at Capenhurst has just been published in the Plymouth Herald under the headline:-

The nuclear graveyard in Plymouth where submarines go to die.

This includes HMS Conqueror, which sank the Belgrano during the Falklands War.

Anniversaries & Forthcoming Events

April 26– Chernobyl Day

June 24 – Capenhurst

We will be going back to Capenhurst to read out the 1978 URENCO Declaration, together with an updated version, which will reflect the damage which currently being done by URENCO.

The reading will start at 13.00.

Travel directions – Overground from Chester or Liverpool.

June 26 to 28  – Glasgow

This years Clarion Events Undersea Defence Technology (UDT) Arms Fair and conference will be held in Glasgow.

This event sponsored by both BAE systems & Babcock.

July 21 – Crewe

We will also be back at the DRS [ Direct Rail Service ] open day at their Gresty Bridge depot in Crewe.

This will be our 5th anniversary demonstration and leafleting session at the DRS open day event.

October 10 – Springfields

We will be back at the Springfields plant on to mark 61 years since the Windscale Fire.

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)