Right Now

This is very much an interim issue of Countering Capenhurst.

Aside from having to deal with the effects of Lockdown, we are working upon a number of other related issues, while putting together the groundwork for some further campaigning resources.

In Between all the bad news

During September it was announced that HITACHI is withdrawing from building WYLFA B

We congratulate PAWB (People Against Wylfa B) for all their work in pushing for this outcome.

Meanwhile

‘ A decision on planning consent for the Wylfa Newydd nuclear power plant project on Anglesey that was due to be made yesterday has been delayed until 31 December, as requested by Horizon Nuclear Power, the UK project developer owned by Japan’s Hitachi.’

DRS

DRS continue to drag nukiller waste flasks to Sellafield [ Windscale ].

The latest ones included –

To and from Torness on July 14^th and August 5th

Then in Early September this was the headline on the Devonlive website–

Rare Class 66 train carrying nuclear flasks heads into Plymouth.

‘This was a ‘ very rarely seen DRS Nuclear Flask Train worked down from Crewe Coal Sidings to Devonport Royal Dockyard for the decommissioning of a few submarines down at the Naval base/dockyard down at Devonport.’

DRS Publication.

There is a new glossy publication about DRS

Direct Rail Services: 25 Years of Rail Haulage

This 132 page publication is aimed at train spotters, with lots of colour photographs in it.

Most importantly it lists all the information about the various train engines it uses to haul both goods wagons and nukiller waste flasks.

While it features a number of articles about operations of the nukiller waste trains.

63 Years Later

On October 10^th 1957 the Windscale Fire occurred.

To understand just what happened you need to read about the Windscale Piles.

It was one of the first, but by no means the last nukiller reactor disaster.

Future Events

At Present it is extremely difficult to plan an future events due to the current pandemic.

We do however continue to collecting and distributing information about all aspects of the nukiller power industry.

Once it is possible to do so then we will be holding a series of demonstrations outside of various Nukiller plants.

It is also our intention to hold a small face to face gathering to discuss how we continue campaigning once it is possible to do so.

In the meanwhile we will continue to post various updates upon our Facebook page.

What Next At Capenhurst?

What Next with the Nukiller Power Industry ?

There are questions which we are currently looking at in the light of the current fall in energy demands and fuel prices.

This in turn will effect the likelihood of nukiller new build taking place.

There is a lot to be considered here, especially when read in connection to such as the following news story:-

‘ EDF withdraws financial guidance for 2020 and 2021 as coronavirus hits power demand.’

Thanks to Lush

As with a number of activists campaigning groups we have received financial support from the Lush Fund, for which we are all extremely grateful.

In February an critical article entitled ‘Just to sell soap’ appeared in Nuclear Engineering International which listed the following as being in support of these funds.

‘ BeyondNuclear, Highlands Against Nuclear Transport, Radiation-Free Lakeland and the Close Capenhurst Campaign, as well as several anti-fracking campaigns and one against coal.’

The logical conclusion to this might be that some people in the the nukiller power industry see these donations us by LUSH as a great threat to their activities.

Yet in contrast we should point out the vast amount of state money which subsidises they receive.

What people in the nukiller power industry need to remember is that with or without this funding we will continue campaigning for just as long as it takes to close down all their plants.

URENCO – Business As Normal

The URENCO COVID-19 statement which was issued on March 20^th states: –

‘ Urenco has ongoing detailed preparations in place to ensure the safety and wellbeing of our employees, communities and key stakeholders, and our ability to keep our plants operating.’

Yet contains not a word about the dangers posed to us by the movement of radioactive hex in and our of the plant.

Woops! Nobody Noticed that!

In march this was the headline in The Ferret: –

Radioactive waste wrongly sent to Hunterston nuclear plant

‘ Investigations have been launched into how radioactive waste ended up in a transport container at Hunterston nuclear power station in breach of environmental rules.

The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa) has disclosed that unauthorised radioactive “debris” was found in a supposedly empty fuel flask returned to the North Ayrshire plant from the Sellafield nuclear complex in Cumbria.’

No Trains Today.

There is currently a replacement bus service on the West Coast Cumbria railway line between Workington & Whitehaven. This is because of a landslide at Parton, which is just north of Whitehaven.

Why is this important to note you might just ask, but the point to keep in mind is that the line is used by DRS nukiller waste trains going from Carlisle to Sellafield.

This is the route used to carry highly radioactive spent fuel rods from the Hunterston, Torness, and Hartlepool nukiller power plants.

Future Events.

With DRS in to a Post Apocalyptic world.

As of now, April 2020, there is no indication that the DRS Open Day will take place this year.

Sowe will not be back again leafleting the DRS Depot this year July,

but will continue to leaflet the various stations nukiller waste goes through just as soon as lockdown is over.

Remembering the Windscale Fire

We do hope to be hold an event to mark the anniversary of the 63nd Anniversary Of The Windscale Fire on October 10th

Just what that event will be will depend what the transport situation is by then.

Yet Again – DRS

This year we published a new leaflet which was distributed at the DRS [ Direct Rail Services ] open day at Carlisle. Unlike the previous one we used, this new one can be distributed on other occasions.

You can see a copy of the text of the leaflet we used here: –

As in previous years this protest was organised in conjunction with Radiation Free Lakelands.

Follow on.

On June 1^st a DRS nukiller waste flask passed through Warrington Bank Quay station on the way to Sellafield. We will be leafleting outside the station on Thursday August 15^th as part of our work to inform people about these dangerous loads.

We will continue to organise more such leafleting sessions at other stations where these flasks go through, as a part of our public awareness work. These will be held outside stations in the nukiller north west. Please let us know if you want to join us on them.

If your in London then you can also join the ones which are organised by the Nuclear Waste Trains Action Group c/o CND Mordechai Vanunu House, 162 Holloway Road, London N7 8DQ

Long term campaigning – long term costs.

Most of the campaigning work we are engaged upon can not be achieved in just a matter of a few years, as the very nature of nukiller power means it will take decades to clean up the radioactive mess.

Thus we always need to think out how to maintain this long term campaigning, and how to finance this work.

Thus unlike many many campaigning groups we have to look at our long term finances and expenditures.

For example – In July we renewed out webpage domain name for another five years.

Then there are the ongoing costs which come from printing and distributing our leaflets.

We don’t have any staff or office to pay for, but there are still travel costs which need to be covered.

It all adds up +£+£+£

Last year we received a very generous donation from the Lush Fund, but we can not forever rely upon such funders to bankroll our work.

At present we are working to produce a new edition of Wildlife and the Atom, which was published by Greenpeace [ London ] in 1983.

That and a couple of other new publication we have in mind to produce will eat in to our finances.

So we are now appealing for your help to finance our essential campaigning work.

If you would like to make a contribution, then email us and we will tell you how it might be done.

Online Resources

7 reasons why nuclear energy is not the answer to solve climate change

Anniversaries & Forthcoming Events

October 10^th – Springfields

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

This will be an event which starts at 14.00.

March 4^th 2020

50 years since the signing of the Almelo Treaty.

We will be organising an event to mark this date.

More details later on in the year.