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HIGH-LEVEL radioactive waste built up at Sellafield from fuel reprocessing over the years will soon be sent back to foreign customers. This is a milestone for both the nuclear industry and the British government, who hope the move will dispel claims that Sellafield was destined to become "the world's atomic dustbin". The waste comes from the fuel Sellafield has reprocessed over 30 years after removing the plutonium and uranium energy products. The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority says it will reduce the stockpile of high level waste stored at Sellafield. All UK reprocessing contracts with foreign customers since 1976 have included an option for the waste to be returned to "country of origin" and 10 years later the British government decided the option should be taken up.

HIGH-LEVEL radioactive waste built up at Sellafield from fuel reprocessing over the years will soon be sent back to foreign customers. This is a milestone for both the nuclear industry and the British government, who hope the move will dispel claims that Sellafield was destined to become "the world's atomic dustbin". The waste comes from the fuel Sellafield has reprocessed over 30 years after removing the plutonium and uranium energy products. The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority says it will reduce the stockpile of high level waste stored at Sellafield. All UK reprocessing contracts with foreign customers since 1976 have included an option for the waste to be returned to "country of origin" and 10 years later the British government decided the option should be taken up.

The operator of Sellafield, Britain's biggest nuclear complex, was today handed a fine and legal costs totalling more than £100,000 following safety lapses which led to the radioactive contamination of staff. The successful prosecution of Sellafield Ltd by the Health and Safety Executive will tarnish the reputation of an industry trying to win public confidence for a new generation of power plants. The business, controlled by state-owned British Nuclear Group when the incident occurred in July 2007, has since been taken over by three private contractors, Amec, Areva and URS Washington, who work under the Nuclear Management Partners banner.

The operator of Sellafield, Britain's biggest nuclear complex, was today handed a fine and legal costs totalling more than £100,000 following safety lapses which led to the radioactive contamination of staff. The successful prosecution of Sellafield Ltd by the Health and Safety Executive will tarnish the reputation of an industry trying to win public confidence for a new generation of power plants. The business, controlled by state-owned British Nuclear Group when the incident occurred in July 2007, has since been taken over by three private contractors, Amec, Areva and URS Washington, who work under the Nuclear Management Partners banner.

"FIVE bags of low level radioactive waste have ended up at the Lillyhall landfill site - by mistake. The waste should have been sent from Sellafield to Drigg, the country's only designated disposal site for the material. Sellafield Ltd has admitted the blunder which it says was due to incorrect assessments by a purpose-built bag machine. No more bagged waste will leave Sellafield pending investigations. But the company stressed that no one's health has been put at risk on the Lillyhall site and neither are there any environmental problems."

CAMPAIGNERS from Norway descended on Westminster to demand Sellafield be closed down amid fears an accident at the site would cause devastation across the globe. 0508874 CAMPAIGN: Campaigners from Norway protest against Sellafield at Westminster The group claimed the quality of the radioactive waste is poor and they fear there will be an accident at the site. Frank Storelv, from Oslo, said 90 per cent of wind blows from the south west and if there was an explosion or accident at Sellafield, one or two days later the radioactive waste would be carried to the west coast of Norway.

CAMPAIGNERS from Norway descended on Westminster to demand Sellafield be closed down amid fears an accident at the site would cause devastation across the globe. 0508874 CAMPAIGN: Campaigners from Norway protest against Sellafield at Westminster The group claimed the quality of the radioactive waste is poor and they fear there will be an accident at the site. Frank Storelv, from Oslo, said 90 per cent of wind blows from the south west and if there was an explosion or accident at Sellafield, one or two days later the radioactive waste would be carried to the west coast of Norway.

* Whitehaven News * News Sellafield admits hot tanks error but denies plant was 'hours from disaster' By Alan Irving Last updated 15:54, Wednesday, 15 April 2009 SELLAFIELD'S operators have denied the area was only hours away from a nuclear disaster due to failure in tanks containing highly radioactive liquid. * Title Author Copyright Description David Moore: 'Reassured that all the safety systems kicked in' 1 of 2 Photos Toggle Thumbnails Staff worked against the clock to supply cooling water to four of the 21 tanks, said to hold around 1,000 cubic metres of highly radioactive liquid waste. Details of the alert are given in the latest Sellafield site newsletter which says: "Cooling water was reinstated to the high-heat highly active storage tanks within two hours of the initial loss and to the remainder of the plant within eight hours... this is within the bounds of the plant safety case." But Cumbrian anti-nuclear group Core has made the startling claim that "this is perilously close to the timescale of 10.5 hours catered for in the Sellafield site emergency plan".

The safety record of Britain's nuclear industry will be tarnished tomorrow when managers at the Sellafield complex in Cumbria are fined for exposing staff to radioactive contamination. A substantial penalty is expected to be imposed by Carlisle crown court following a successful criminal prosecution brought by the Health and Safety Executive. Concerns about conditions at the plant come just a week after an eminent group of scientists and military experts described as "ludicrous" the manner in which 100 tonnes of plutonium was stored at Sellafield - and at a time when the wider nuclear industry is trying to build public support for a new generation of reactors.

The safety record of Britain's nuclear industry will be tarnished tomorrow when managers at the Sellafield complex in Cumbria are fined for exposing staff to radioactive contamination. A substantial penalty is expected to be imposed by Carlisle crown court following a successful criminal prosecution brought by the Health and Safety Executive. Concerns about conditions at the plant come just a week after an eminent group of scientists and military experts described as "ludicrous" the manner in which 100 tonnes of plutonium was stored at Sellafield - and at a time when the wider nuclear industry is trying to build public support for a new generation of reactors.

SELLAFIELD has applied to raise the limit on the amount of radioactive discharge it can release into the air. The site has applied to the Environment Agency for a five-fold increase in gas discharges known as Antimony 125 from the Magnox reprocessing plant. The agency says there is no danger to the public, but the move has drawn criticism from the anti-nuclear group Cumbrians Opposed to a Radioactive Environment (Core). Core's Martin Forwood said: "We deplore any increase in environmental discharges but Sellafield has got the agency over a barrel. "We are now paying the price for the industry's abject failure to develop an alternative to reprocessing Magnox fuel."

SELLAFIELD has applied to raise the limit on the amount of radioactive discharge it can release into the air. The site has applied to the Environment Agency for a five-fold increase in gas discharges known as Antimony 125 from the Magnox reprocessing plant. The agency says there is no danger to the public, but the move has drawn criticism from the anti-nuclear group Cumbrians Opposed to a Radioactive Environment (Core). Core's Martin Forwood said: "We deplore any increase in environmental discharges but Sellafield has got the agency over a barrel. "We are now paying the price for the industry's abject failure to develop an alternative to reprocessing Magnox fuel."

SELLAFIELD has applied to raise the limit on the amount of radioactive discharge it can release into the air. The site has applied to the Environment Agency for a five-fold increase in gas discharges known as Antimony 125 from the Magnox reprocessing plant. The agency says there is no danger to the public, but the move has drawn criticism from the anti-nuclear group Cumbrians Opposed to a Radioactive Environment (Core). Core's Martin Forwood said: "We deplore any increase in environmental discharges but Sellafield has got the agency over a barrel. "We are now paying the price for the industry's abject failure to develop an alternative to reprocessing Magnox fuel."

he BNP has said it is considering "legal avenues" after its leader was refused permission to visit the Sellafield nuclear reprocessing plant. Nick Griffin had wanted a fact-finding tour of the site, which is in his North West European Parliament constituency. But Sellafield Limited, the facility's operator, said it was concerned about security and possible demonstrations.

he BNP has said it is considering "legal avenues" after its leader was refused permission to visit the Sellafield nuclear reprocessing plant. Nick Griffin had wanted a fact-finding tour of the site, which is in his North West European Parliament constituency. But Sellafield Limited, the facility's operator, said it was concerned about security and possible demonstrations.

he BNP has said it is considering "legal avenues" after its leader was refused permission to visit the Sellafield nuclear reprocessing plant. Nick Griffin had wanted a fact-finding tour of the site, which is in his North West European Parliament constituency. But Sellafield Limited, the facility's operator, said it was concerned about security and possible demonstrations.

THE "rogue" highly radioactive nuclear material which got Sellafield into hot water with Japan will be on the move - to France. This is the batch of eight Mox fuel assemblies made at Sellafield and later found to be "falsified" in its specification data after being shipped out to customers in Japan. The faked pellets scandal led to loss of business confidence in BNFL and for a time Japan refused to strike any further deals with Sellafield. The fuel, a mixture of plutonium and uranium, was sent back to Sellafield - seven years ago.

"An investigation has begun into how bags of radioactive waste from the Sellafield nuclear complex in Cumbria ended up in a landfill site. Five bags of low-level waste were sent to Lillyhall in Workington, instead of to the nearby Drigg nuclear waste dump. Sellafield stressed the bags, which contained paper, plastic, clothing and wood, were no danger to the public. It is thought monitoring equipment failed to properly identify the bags as containing low-level radioactive waste. All the bags have been retrieved and returned to Sellafield. "

In a grand old house on the outskirts of Whitehaven in Cumbria, a small team of international managers are preparing to take on the task of cleaning up the most intricate nuclear complex in the world. Nuclear Management Partners (NMP) - a consortium representing companies from the US, France and the UK - has been awarded a multi-billion pound contract that could turn into the biggest procurement deal ever signed by the UK government. Nuclear Management Partners HQ, prior to taking charge of Sellafield Nuclear Management Partners are taking charge of Sellafield The task ahead: to sort out the mess left behind after more than half a century of nuclear energy and weapons production at Sellafield.

ONE of the government advisers on the selection of sites for new nuclear reactors has branded Sellafield as "a poor location for a modern nuclear power station". In an extract from his book Nukenomics: The commercialisation of Britain's nuclear industry, Ian Jackson, writes: "For example, despite its substantial nuclear workforce, the remote Sellafield complex in North West England is a poor location for a modern nuclear power station because its electricity transmission infrastructure cannot carry the energy output of a large nuclear station. Securing planning permissions from Cumbria County Council and capital investment from the National Grid for major transmission upgrade stretching across the Lake District are key logistical and economic barriers at Sellafield."

LAND next to Sellafield may be earmarked for a giant incinerator to burn both low-level nuclear waste and domestic waste from across Cumbria and beyond. A conference on the Energy Coast at Penrith on Friday heard that a business plan is in the advanced stages for the incinerator and its railhead on greenfield land on the Gosforth side of Sellafield. Barry Watkinson, delivery manager for external innovation for Sellafield Ltd, said the low-level waste repository had to move on from its current "antiquated" approach of burying waste in containers and vaults at Drigg. He added that Sellafield already had a combined heat and power plant that "needs replacing in five to six years' time... this is the opportunity to look at a different approach and get energy from waste."

RADIOACTIVITY leaking from a pipe, which was first spotted on the day of the Prime Minister's visit to Sellafield, had been escaping into the open for 14 months, it has been revealed. The incident has been raised to level two on the International Event scale - the highest at Sellafield since the major leak in Thorp four years ago. Sellafield Ltd said: "There is no relation between the two. The amount of radioactivity involved in this incident was very low." The leak was discovered on January 23 - the day the Prime Minister made his announcement about new reactors. The radioactivity came from an overhead ventilation duct carrying water vapour (condensate) from the Magnox reprocessing plant for dilution treatment before authorised discharge to the sea. There was a steady drip from a faulty valve flange contaminating a two metre square concrete slab. A walkway had to be cordoned off to prevent access. No workers are said to have been harmed and no contamination was found above normal background levels.

Dealing with the problems of old age lies at the heart of the nuclear industry's challenge to convince the public of its safety: leaky power plants, crumbling waste stores nearing the end of their lives and overworked inspectors who do not have the time to assess properly the next generation of power stations. Even with billions of pounds a year being poured into clean-up operations, it is a toxic legacy going back to the cold war that continually threatens to undermine the facelift given by the new private sector companies. The companies, mainly from France and Germany, have joined the government to try to convince the public it is time for a nuclear renaissance, on both energy security and climate change grounds. In recent days the industry watchdog, the Nuclear Installations Inspectorate (NII), has admitted that the possibility of a serious accident at Britain's biggest nuclear complex, Sellafield in Cumbria, is still "far too high", while questioning the safety designs of new reactors being submitted for approval. The private sector managers who took over at Sellafield less than a year ago have been told in a letter that they should reduce the risks at the radioactive storage pond dubbed "Dirty 30" and elsewhere as soon as possible.

Dealing with the problems of old age lies at the heart of the nuclear industry's challenge to convince the public of its safety: leaky power plants, crumbling waste stores nearing the end of their lives and overworked inspectors who do not have the time to assess properly the next generation of power stations. Even with billions of pounds a year being poured into clean-up operations, it is a toxic legacy going back to the cold war that continually threatens to undermine the facelift given by the new private sector companies. The companies, mainly from France and Germany, have joined the government to try to convince the public it is time for a nuclear renaissance, on both energy security and climate change grounds. In recent days the industry watchdog, the Nuclear Installations Inspectorate (NII), has admitted that the possibility of a serious accident at Britain's biggest nuclear complex, Sellafield in Cumbria, is still "far too high", while questioning the safety designs of new reactors being submitted for approval. The private sector managers who took over at Sellafield less than a year ago have been told in a letter that they should reduce the risks at the radioactive storage pond dubbed "Dirty 30" and elsewhere as soon as possible.

BNP leader Nick Griffin has been refused permission to visit the Sellafield nuclear reprocessing plant in Cumbria on security grounds. Mr Griffin said he wanted to visit the site, which sits within his North West European Parliament constituency, because he is pro-nuclear power. But Sellafield Limited, which operates the site, said it was concerned about security and possible demonstrations.

BNP leader Nick Griffin has been refused permission to visit the Sellafield nuclear reprocessing plant in Cumbria on security grounds. Mr Griffin said he wanted to visit the site, which sits within his North West European Parliament constituency, because he is pro-nuclear power. But Sellafield Limited, which operates the site, said it was concerned about security and possible demonstrations.

"An Anglo-French consortium has clinched a deal to build a nuclear waste processing plant at Sellafield, said to be worth an eventual £1.5 billion. A group involving British firms Amec and Balfour Beatty and French outfit Areva will design and construct the new Highly Active Liquid Effluent Facility at the site. The plant will analyse and treat radioactive liquid arising from reprocessing at Sellafield before it is made safe for long-term storage."

"* Report highlights widespread failings at Europe's biggest atomic site * Safety watchdog closes one plant and takes legal action against site's operators The government's safety watchdog is cracking down on Britain's biggest and oldest nuclear complex after a series of radioactive leaks and safety blunders, despite private sector managers receiving multimillion-pound "performance-related" payments from the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has closed down a vital nuclear waste plant at Sellafield in Cumbria, and is taking legal action to force the site's operators to improve their flawed safety procedures. The HSE has also rejected a £40bn plan for cleaning up Sellafield because of proposed delays in dismantling ageing and potentially hazardous facilities."

Sellafield managers have been told to make improvements after a radioactive leak went undetected for more than a year. In January condensation was found to have been dripping from a pipe at the nuclear reprocessing plant in Cumbria. The Environment Agency has issued an enforcement notice requiring improved equipment and maintenance routines. Sellafield Ltd said no-one was exposed to the "low-level radiation", and that improvements were already being made.

Sellafield has pleaded guilty to health and safety breaches after two contractors were exposed to radiation. The workers were refurbishing a floor at the site's plutonium finishing and storage plant in July 2007 when they were exposed to airborne contamination. Sellafield Ltd admitted failing to discharge its duty under the Health and Safety Act 1974 at Whitehaven Magistrates' Court on Friday.