WRITTEN QUESTION E-0334/02

by Nuala Ahern (Verts/ALE) to the Commission

(12 February 2002)

Subject: Nuclear issues

1. What contribution did Commission experts make to the report Nuclear Power Plants Radwaste in Perspective' published by Eurelectric in January 2002?

2. Has the Commission received any explanation from the United Kingdom authorities on the implications for environmental safety of the dumping of British nuclear waste in the Atlantic Ocean at a location 400 km west of Land's End in Cornwall, England between 1965 to 1982; and in particular, has any recent communication been received in respect of a recently revealed incident in 1969 involving a ship, the MV Topaz, on which a full flask of nuclear waste cracked and contaminated the deck of the ship, and involved the disposal of the damaged waste flask overboard?

3. What studies have been conducted by (1) the Commission's Joint Research Centres or (2) Euratom into the technical possibility and comparative economics of (a) direct disposal (b) long term storage and (c) reprocessing of irradiated Mixed Oxide (Mox) plutonium nuclear fuel after discharge from reactors?

4. On what date did Euratom safeguards inspectors first carry out on-site inspections of any facilities at the BNFL nuclear site at Sellafield in Cumbria, UK; for how long did the inspection visit last; and what report was produced as a result of the visit?

5. Has the Commission evaluated the most recent annual report [Annual Report and Accounts for 2000] of the Radiation Protection Institute of Ireland, which claims radioactive contamination from Sellafield found in seaweed is 150 times higher on the north-east coast of Ireland than in seaweed on the south and west coasts; and what environmental protection measures does it intend to take to protect Irish citizens from the hazards posed by this radioactivity?

Answer given by Mrs Wallström on behalf of the Commission

(2 April 2002)

1. On request from Eurelectric, Commission experts provided text on the status of radioactive waste management activities in the Directorate General for Transport and Energy (originally managed by the Directorate General for Environment) and those of the Directorate General for Research, which subsequently appeared as part III.2 in the report. Commission experts had full editorial control over the content of this part of the report. No other contribution or assistance was provided by the Commission.

2. As confirmed in the reply to Written Question E-0500/01 by Mr Davies(1), the Commission considered the environmental impact of the past dumping of British nuclear waste in the Atlantic Ocean in the report The radiological exposure of the population of the European Community from radioactivity in North European marine waters, project 'Marína' (Radiation Protection 47, 1990). This report made use of a number of sources of data. This report is in the process of being updated by a consortium of international experts and will again address the significance of nuclear waste dumped in the Atlantic Ocean using all information and data available. The study is expected to be published in mid 2002. The Commission has not received any recent communication regarding the incident involving the MV Topaz to which the Honourable Member refers.

3. Research on direct disposal of irradiated nuclear fuel has been part of the Commission's programme in Framework Programmes 4 and 5. Only limited research has been specifically dedicated to irradiated Mixed Oxide (MOX) fuel, mainly on spent fuel dissolution. The more general research on spent fuel and high level waste disposal is, however, largely applicable also to Mixed Oxide fuel disposal. This research concerns the behaviour of the fuel or high level waste, the waste package, and the buffer material around the waste, as well as the behaviour of radioactive substances in the geological medium used for the disposal.

4. The first safeguards inspection under Chapter VII of the Euratom Treaty of the British Nuclear Fuels Limited (BNFL) nuclear site at Sellafield took place from 4 to 6 December 1973. The inspection activities and results are documented in an internal inspection report. The results of the inspection were communicated to the operator and copied to the British government authorities. Access to civil nuclear material in installations handling simultaneously material liable to be assigned to meet defence requirements constituted an important issue.

5. The update of the Marína study is addressing the significance of radioactivity in biota, including that in seaweed, and is making use of a number of scientific reports, including those from the Radiation Protection Institute of Ireland on the Monitoring of radioactivity in the Irish marine environment. While the Commission is aware of extensive variations in the concentration of radionuclides in seaweed from place to place the absolute concentrations have no radiological significance.

(1) OJ C 318 E, 13.11.2001.