WRITTEN QUESTION No. 4120/97 by Patricia McKENNA to the Commission. Unregulated dumping of nuclear waste at Dounreay, Scotland
Date: 1998-01-16
Institutions: European Parliament, MCKENNA
Subjects: Scotland, decontamination, environmental impact, environmental protection, nuclear power station, radioactive pollution, radioactive waste, underground storage of waste, waste management

21. 10. 98

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 323/7

Answer given by Mr Van Miert on behalf of the Commission

(3 February 1998)

By fax received on 17 October 1997, the Honourable Member first brought to the attention of the Commission
allegations made by a British jewellery firm against its Italian competitors who are supposedly benefiting from
favourable tax treatment and other public support. According to the complainant, part of this information comes
from articles in the jewellery press.

On 23 October 1997, the Commission wrote to the Honourable Member explaining that after a scrutiny of the
alleged  measures,  it  appeared  that  the  information  provided  was  not  sufficiently  detailed  to  allow  the
Commission  to  further  investigate  this  issue.  The  Honourable  Member  was  therefore  invited  to  ask  her
correspondent to submit a detailed description of the alleged unfair state aid measures as well as a copy of the
press articles in question.

To date, this additional information has not been received by the Commission.

(98/C 323/09)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-4120/97

by Patricia McKenna (V) to the Commission

(16 January 1998)

Subject: Unregulated dumping of nuclear waste at Dounreay, Scotland

AEA Technology, the British company which runs the Dounreay nuclear complex in Scotland, recently admitted
that a massive operation needs to be undertaken to clean up a radioactive dump beside the site. Over 1 000 tonnes
of radioactive waste are reported to have been dumped in a shaft burrowed into nearby cliffs.

The dumping appears to have been undertaken in a haphazard and largely uncontrolled way. No comprehensive
records were kept of the substances dumped there, and, although dumping began there in 1959, details of the
dump did not emerge for a further 20 years. The plant(cid:146)s managers also concealed a 1977 explosion at the shaft,
which is believed to have been at least partially responsible for the hundreds of (cid:145)hot spots(cid:146) later detected on
surrounding beaches.

Has the Commission made any contact with the British authorities about this dump? If so, can it give details of
any such contacts?

Does the Commission plan to monitor and supervise the drafting and implementation of a clean-up programme
for the dump? Has the Commission any preferences for how the waste in the dump should be dealt with?

Answer given by Mrs Bjerregaard on behalf of the Commission

(13 February 1998)

Representatives of the Commission met with senior members of the United Kingdom atomic energy authority
(UKAEA) during the first half of 1997. The subject of the intermediate-level waste shaft was discussed during
that meeting. Since then, additional information has been requested from the British authorities concerning the
plans for the removal, processing and storage of the wastes from the shaft including assessments of the actual and
potential environmental effects of these wastes. As regards hot spots only two such particles have been identified
on beaches to which the public has access.

The Commission does not have any specific preferences for how the waste should be dealt with nor does it expect
to be involved in the supervision and implementation of a clean-up programme. However, depending on the
process selected, a submission may be necessary under the terms of Article 37 of the Euratom Treaty and an
environmental  assessment  may  be  required  for  any  new  facility  in  which  to  store  the  waste  (Directive
85/337/EEC as amended by Directive 97/11/EC on the assessment of the effects of certain public and private
projects on the environment (1)).

(1)  OJ L 73, 14.3.1997.