nuclear-news

Anxiety over rail transport of Dounreay’s nuclear spent fuel

Savings put ahead of nuclear safety, Tor Justad
http://www.heraldscotland.com/comment/letters/savings-put-ahead-of-nuclear-safety.19779977, 30 Dec 12,
The report referring to a large increase in radioactive discharges
once again raises concerns about what is actually happening at
Dounreay (Alarm at plans for huge increase in radioactive discharges
from Dounreay, News, December 23).

It appears saving money is being put ahead of safety.

It has been regularly reported that the Nuclear Decommissioning
Authority (NDA) wishes to close Dounreay as quickly as possible. One
result is the current controversial transport of 44 tonnes of highly
radioactive spent fuel 400 miles by rail, from Dounreay to Sellafield.

The NDA has asserted that savings of millions of pounds can be made by
this transport when they previously indicated that the spent fuel
could be safely stored at Dounreay.What should be concerning to
Highland Council and Sepa (the Scottish Environment Protection Agency)
is that these reported “savings” could be putting the lives of tens of
thousands of people at risk from accident or terrorist attack linked
to this rail transport, or from any increase in discharges around
Dounreay, which are already unacceptably high. I trust that Highland
Council and Sepa will act sooner rather than later to reassure the
public and to take action before it is too late.

December 31, 2012 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | general