nuclear-news

UK’s Under Secretary of State for Energy & Climate Change.calls for nuclear decommissioning at Sellafield

NEW ENERGY MINISTER IN SELLAFIELD NUCLEAR PLANT VISIT News and Star UK, By Chris Story, 08 October 2012 New energy minister Baroness Verma says the Government will clarify concerns about a possible nuclear dump in Cumbria.She has also called for a continued and strong focus on decommissioning at Sellafield while praising the professionalism of the workforce there.

Baroness Verma made the comments after meeting staff and holding talks
with council leaders during a fact-finding mission to the west
Cumbrian atomic complex.

Her visit came just days after an alliance of local authorities in the
county said it was deferring a decision on whether to move into the
next stage of a search to find a potential site for an underground
nuclear dump.

Cumbria County, Copeland and Allerdale councils all said they wanted
to further look into issues about whether west Cumbria should continue
to be considered for a storage site. A decision is now expected in
January.

Among the issues flagged as part of research into whether Cumbria
should stay in the running has been the perception of a “lack of
trust” surrounding the process from some areas of the public.

The minister said: “Finding a long-term and sustainable solution for
dealing with our legacy of nuclear waste is absolutely vital for
Cumbria and for the country as a whole…… She added: “Visiting
Sellafield really does drive home the sheer scale and size of the
challenge posed by our nuclear legacy and why we must continue to
focus relentlessly on our world-leading decommissioning efforts.
Decommissioning and cleaning up the site will take many decades, but I
am very encouraged by the progress being made and the dedication and
professionalism of everyone at the site.”…
http://www.newsandstar.co.uk/news/new-energy-minister-in-nuclear-plant-visit-1.1003065?referrerPath=news

October 9, 2012 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | general