Sellafield -
the good news ...
There
have been no leaks, accidents or emergencies at the Sellafield nuclear
plant for the last two weeks.
and
the
bad news ...
#
The Government's Health and Safety Executive has closed a vital nuclear
waste plant at Sellafield. Safety precautions were 'inadequate', said
the H.S.E.
# The H.S.E. has also revealed two recent leaks of cooling
water needed to prevent radioactive tanks from overheating. The site
will also miss a deadline for clearing radioactive sludge out of old
ponds. Fire protection systems were left unfixed for 18 months. The
H.S.E. has rejected plans for decommissioning plants over the next 110
years.
# Private sector managers at Sellafield have received
multi-million pound bonuses from the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority.
The private company Nuclear Management Partners have made profits of
£50 million over the last 12 months. Sellafield Ltd has received
£1.5 billion pounds of tax-payers' money this year to reduce the
risks.
# The Con-Lib government has discovered a £4 billion bill
to pay for closing down ageing nuclear plants at Sellafield. The
minister responsible said, "We are paying for decades of cheap nuclear
electricity for which we have suddenly got a massive post-dated bill".
Greenpeace has said that there are plans to pay enormous hidden
subsidies to the nuclear power industry to cover the costs of
decommissioning.