WRITTEN QUESTION E-2916/96 by Paul Lannoye (V) to the Commission (8 November 1996)

Subject: Data and explanations regarding the growth of transportation in the plutonium sector

The development of the plutonium sector - a fuel used in Europe which involves both plutonium, in the form of the oxide PuO2, which is the product of reprocessing plants (La Hague and Sellafield) and new MOX fuel from production plants (Dessel in Belgium, Marcoule and Cadarache in France) - involves a marked increase in the transportation of hazardous materials, which must be properly assessed in order to verify that the practices in question (reprocessing and the use of MOX fuel) are still justified (see Article 6(2) of Directive 96/29/Euratom ((OJ L 159, 29.6.1996, p. 1. )) in view of the radiological consequences.

Besides the exposure risks linked to the industrial processes themselves, transportation can contribute significantly to the exposure of workers and members of the public.

Will the Commission furnish the data (number of consignments, quantities transported per vehicle) relating to the transport of plutonium oxide, MOX and spent fuels for the years 1985, 1990 and 1995 and forecasts for the year 2000:

by mode of transport (road, rail, air, sea);

broken down according to whether shipments took place within the European Union or are the result of contracts with non-member countries?

Supplementary answer given by Mr Papoutsis on behalf of the Commission (14 April 1997)

Further to its answer of 17 December 1996 ((OJ C 72, 7.3.97. )), the Commission is now in a position to provide the following information.

The exposure risks for the population and the environment linked to the electro-nuclear industry derive mainly from the industrial processes themselves in which the substance of nuclear fuel is transformed and much less from the transportation of radioactive materials that have been prepared and duly packaged to make them safe in the event of transport accidents.

The radiological risk involved in the transport of nuclear material depends on the frequency of transport accidents and their possible radiological consequences.

As recorded in the Communication from the Commission to the Council and the European Parliament on the safe transport of radioactive material in the European Union ((Doc. COM(96) 11 final. )), an analysis of transport accidents and incident has shown that very few accidents have had significant radiological consequences in terms of environmental contamination, proving that the packaging remains intact in various types of accident situations.

As regards the number of consignments in 1985, 1990 and 1995, the Commission only has at its disposal such information as has been obtained from Euratom safeguards in the Community, deriving from the accounting records of installations. The overall figures thus obtained are reproduced in the table below. However, these do not enable identification of the mode of transport used.

The Commission has not been able to make forecasts for 2000 on the basis of these figures. Such forecasting strongly depends on the various elements determining policies on energy, transport in general, freedom of movement and competition in the years to come.

Minimum estimate* of number of consignments

>TABLE>

* Criteria used in the estimate

Account has been taken only of major installations regularly sending or receiving plutonium oxide, MOX or spent fuels.

On the basis of the accounting records for a given day, all shipments of the same kind recorded for despatch or receipt have been regarded as a single consignment.

Despatch or receipt of small quantities to serve as samples have not been taken into consideration.