WRITTEN QUESTION No. 3431/97 by Patricia McKENNA to the Commission. Incident at the Sellafield nuclear complex, Britain
Date: 1997-10-31
Institutions: European Parliament, MCKENNA
Subjects: United Kingdom, competence of the Member States, energy technology, nuclear accident, nuclear power station, nuclear reactor, nuclear safety, public safety, safety standard, technology assessment

25. 5. 98

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 158/109

The European Union on 27 October 1997 pledged a total of 326 000 ecus  to Indonesia to overcome the serious
problem caused by the current land and forest fires. The pledge follows a decision by the European Commission
on  behalf  of  the  Community  and  the  Member  States  to  undertake  a  coordinated  EU-approach  to  assist  the
Government  and  people  of  Indonesia  in  the  present  emergency.  The  assistance  comprises  the  supply  of
fire-fighting equipment valued at ECU 194 000, ECU 115 000 for remote sensing, and 17 000 for fire-fighting
expertise.  The  offer  follows  the  recommendations  made  by  the  European  Union  Fire  Response  Group
(EUFREG), an advisory team of experts established by the Commission and the Member States.

The above pledge is in addition to the ongoing inputs of the EU-assisted forest fire projects in South Sumatra and
East Kalimantan, in respect of fire-fighting equipment and basic training techniques and expertise.

Member States of the EU and the European Community together provide nearly 35 % of all external assistance to
Indonesia(cid:146)s forest sector. The European Union, therefore, has a long-term commitment to Indonesian forestry in
the form of a number of projects focusing on the conservation and sustainable management of Indonesia(cid:146)s forest
resources.

Finally  in  the  context  of  forthcoming  discussions  between  the  European  Union  and  ASEAN  countries  it  is
envisaged  that  discussions  will  take  place  in  the  coming  months  on  mutual  efforts  to  support  environment
protection and sustainable use of natural resources.

(98/C 158/143)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3431/97

by Patricia McKenna (V) to the Commission

(31 October 1997)

Subject: Incident at the Sellafield nuclear complex, Britain

On  11  September  1997  one  of  the  ageing  Magnox  reactors  at  Calder  Hall  in  the  British  nuclear  complex  of
Sellafield had to be shut down due to a fault on the control rod motor electrical supply.

Although no radioactivity appears to have been released many would view any incident in the Magnox reactors
as a grave development, given the fact the technology used is nearing obsolescence in terms of developments
since the plants were built?

Has the Commission undertaken any evaluation of the safety standards at Sellafield(cid:146)s Magnox reactors and the
other ageing reactors in the European Union? If not, will it do so? Is the Commission satisfied with the safety
standards of these reactors or does it accept that they are inherently unsafe?

Answer given by Mrs Bjerregaard on behalf of the Commission

(8 December 1997)

The safety of any nuclear installation is the responsibility of the operator which is regulated and licensed by the
national nuclear safety authority. In the case of the Calder Hall the operator, British nuclear fuels Ltd (BNFL),
undertakes  periodic  reviews  to  ensure  that  the  safety  of  the  reactors  is  upgraded  to  be  in  line  with  modern
practices as far as is reasonably practicable. These reviews are submitted to the safety authority for independent
assessment and approval.

The Commission has no competence to request safety evaluations of any specific installations. Nevertheless the
Commission promotes discussion among Member States(cid:146) nuclear safety authorities on various issues, including
ageing of nuclear installations.