The Japanese nuclear industry at Takahama loading BNFL plutonium mox fuel to be returned to Sellafield, UK in July 2002.
The Japanese Ambassador to Ireland was told today to stop
reprocessing nuclear waste from Japan at the Sellafield nuclear
complex in the UK. In a letter delivered to the Japanese Embassy in
Dublin, Greenpeace called for the immediate cessation of plans to
produce a further 10,000 kilograms of weapon-usable plutonium for
Japan at the British Nuclear Fuels (BNFL) THORP reprocessing
plant.
Last week, one of BNFL's largest customers, Tokyo Electric
Power, announced an immediate freeze to its plans to use plutonium
produced from the reprocessing of nuclear waste at the Sellafield
site. Japan currently owns a stockpile of plutonium of nearly
40,000 kilograms. Around 5 kilograms would be sufficient for one
nuclear weapon.
Greenpeace also provided details to the Ambassador on the amount
of plutonium Japan will accumulate over the next 10-15 years if its
plans to continue reprocessing in the UK, and start up of a new
facility in Japan proceed. Before the latest set back Japan's
stocks of plutonium was set to increase to nearly 150,000
kilograms, compared to that contained in the entire United States
nuclear weapons arsenal of 90,000 kilograms.
"There was no justification for Japan's reprocessing program
before the stunning events of the past week. However, the dramatic
freeze in Tokyo Electric's plutonium program, and the major
challenges now facing any plans to use plutonium mixed oxide fuel,
expose the utter madness of creating further stocks of
weapons-usable plutonium for a program that has no future. Rather
than increasing its stocks of bomb-material at the terrible price
of further massive radioactive contamination, the Japanese
Government and utilities need to abandon their bankrupt plutonium
program, phase out nuclear energy and phase in renewables," said
Shaun Burnie of Greenpeace International on board the protest flag
ship Rainbow Warrior.
The recent scandals come less than two weeks before the arrival
of a shipment of rejected plutonium MOX fuel on board two British
flagged nuclear freighters. The cargo was originally shipped to
Japan in 1999, but following revelations of deliberate
falsification of vital quality control data by BNFL, it was
rejected. BNFL set aside compensation and transport costs of over
110 million sterling. The bankrupt company justified the transport
to the UK Government on the grounds that it would secure contracts
for the manufacture of MOX fuel using Japan's growing stock of
plutonium. Instead the transport has generated unprecedented levels
of opposition from over 80 Governments around the world. Most
recently, the Irish Government decided Tuesday to deploy Defense
Force naval vessels and reconnaissance aircraft to track the
shipment and to ensure it does not violate its coastal waters.
BNFL's reprocessing operations discharge 10 million litres of
nuclear waste every day into the Irish Sea which spreads
radioactive contamination north into the Atlantic Ocean and North
Sea. A proportion of this nuclear waste comes from the reprocessing
of Japanese spent nuclear fuel. In total, Japanese nuclear
utilities shipped over 2,600 tons of spent nuclear fuel from their
reactors to the Sellafield site. A similar amount was shipped by
sea to the French reprocessing site at la Hague operated by COGEMA.
Reprocessing, or chemical separation, of the spent fuel in France
was completed in 2000. However, due to the many technical problems
and accidents at THORP experienced by BNFL over the years, as much
as 1000 tons of spent fuel belonging to Japan remains to be
reprocessed.
The freeze in the company's plans for using plutonium follows
the admission that since the 1980's Tokyo Electric, together with
its sub-contractor General Electric International, had been
deliberately falsifying vital safety inspection reports for the
majority of its nuclear reactors. The disclosures have shaken the
Japanese nuclear industry to its core. The President of Tokyo
Electric, the largest private power utility in the world, as well
as its Chair, and vice-president, have announced their intention to
resign, with at least 100 employees under suspicion of covering up
cracks in key reactor components. Politicians close to Tokyo
Electric and considered strongly supportive of its nuclear program,
including plans to use plutonium MOX fuel, have expressed their
shock and anger at the level of deception demonstrated by the
company. The Ministry for Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) is
also now under attack for not disclosing details of the safety
violations for at least two years. The Government was informed of
the problems by an industry "whistleblower" reportedly in July
2000.
The Nuclear Free Irish Sea Flotilla of yachts and boats intends
to sail out into the Irish Sea in advance of the shipment to
peacfully protest the threat posed by nuclear transports and
on-going operations at Sellafield.
Notes: In calculations made by Greenpeace earlier this year, it was estimated that even if Japan's plutonium MOX program began, its 'surplus' stockpile of plutonium would increase to over 70,000 kilograms of plutonium, rising to over 110,000 kilograms by 2020. The latest set back in the program in Japan will only make this situation worse, unless the program is cancelled.