Press Release: Environment 16 October 2006

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Dún Laoghaire, Environment, Justice and Latest Press Releases

16 October 2006
 
Green Party welcomes Sellafield fine


– Roche should visit troubled nuclear plant
 

 
The Green Party welcomed today's news that Carlisle Crown Court has fined the British Nuclear Group €743,000 for leaks at its troubled Sellafield plant.

Green Party Environment spokesperson Ciarán CuffeTD said: "It is unacceptable that a pipe had been leaking radioactive waste for eight months at Sellafield. It is important that the operators of Sellafield, now a private company, are sent a very strong message by the courts that such standards are completely unacceptable.

"It is important that British Prime Minister Tony Blair takes note of Mr Justice Openshaw's view that the British Nuclear Group Sellafield 'did not have a good safety record.' I again call on the Minister for the Environment Dick Roche to visit the troubled Sellafield complex and view first hand the dangers of nuclear power.

"This should be a stark reminder to the UK of the danger of proceeding with a new programme of nuclear power stations. We in Ireland have no confidence in our neighbour's current generation of reactors.

"Thankfully there were no emissions into the atmosphere on this occasion but what is deeply worrying is that this leak existed over such a long period of time before being noticed.

"If the operators of Sellafield are going to convince the Irish people that they can manage the facility in a safe way, monitoring and early-warning processes need to be of the highest standards. Unfortunately, such processes seem to have been absent in April 2005 and we have little reason to believe that they are any better today.

"I think those in Ireland who have recently begun to argue in favour of nuclear power as the answer to our energy crisis should pay attention to the facts of this case and compare it to the spin of the international pro-nuclear lobby which has been revitalised by the challenges of climate change and peak oil."