nuclear-news

Isle of Man wants full closedown of Sellafield nuclear plant

Closure of nuclear plant is welcomed, Isle of man Examiner,  4 August 2011 GREEN campaigners and the island’s Environment Minister have welcomed news that a part of the reprocessing operation at Sellafield nuclear plant is to close…

Japan was the only customer for the MOX plant,

Environment Minister John Shimmin welcomed the news but pointed out the MOX plant was only a small part of the operation at Sellafield. The Manx government’s long-held policy is to call for the full closure of all operations at Sellafield.

Mr Shimmin MHK said: ‘The reduction of any nuclear operations is to be welcomed and this will mean less shipping movements through the Irish Sea. We would hope that the workers will be redeployed on the decommissioning of the numerous plants that blight Sellafield.

‘This is a step in the right direction, but government will maintain its opposition to the reprocessing at Sellafield.’

Phil Corlett, co-ordinator for Isle of Man Friends of the Earth, said: ‘It’s good news but they are still storing a lot of nuclear waste on the site.

‘It’s highly radioactive stuff and extremely dangerous in terms of the risk from accidents and even terrorism.’

Mr Corlett said the tide was turning against nuclear power in many countries, including Germany and even France, since the Fukushima crisis, but the UK was sticking to its policy of building new atomic plants.

Sellafield is one of eight sites in the UK selected for a next generation of nuclear power plants…http://www.iomtoday.co.im/news/isle-of-man-news/closure_of_nuclear_plant_is_welcomed_1_3647095

August 7, 2011 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | opposition to nuclear, politics, reprocessing, UK