Rechecks of nuclear plant procedures urged

The European Parliament has called on the EU to re-examine procedures at European nuclear installations, and to factor in more the possibility of human error to safety requirements, following the Tokaimura nuclear accident in Japan.

In a resolution passed by parliament, MEPs condemned Japan for the way it was running its nuclear industry, and particularly for allowing lax safety standards at the Tokaimura plant. They expressed surprise that "irregular handling of uranium seemed common practice at the plant".

They deplored the operating company's decision to bypass government safety regulations, and called on the International Atomic Energy Agency to step up "spot inspections" and safety audits at all nuclear stations in the world.

On behalf of the Green group, Irish MEP Ms Nuala Ahern proposed that censure should include the operators of the Sellafield reprocessing plant, but its amendment was not accepted. She suspected that Socialist opposition to it was "perhaps due to the long arm of (British Prime Minister) Tony Blair".

"The Japanese plant was operating illegally for four years by allowing a much higher amount of uranium to be mixed than safety standards allow.

"Equally, BNFL has admitted falsifying its mixed oxide fuel (MOX) safety records," she claimed.

The link, Ms Ahern said, was not a tenuous one as BNFL was in the process of exporting weapons usable MOX to that very Japanese plant. "We are simply at the other end of the line. All this indicates the nuclear industry is out of control, including within the EU."

In the circumstances, she said, there was a strong case for suspending MOX shipments from Europe to Japan.