BRITAIN: The operator of the Sellafield nuclear plant, on the northwest coast of England, being prepared for privatisation by the British government faces an unlimited fine after pleading guilty yesterday to safety breaches following a radioactive leak.
The case against British Nuclear Group (BNG) was referred to Carlisle crown court for sentencing on July 7th after magistrates at Whitehaven decided the accident deserved a stiffer penalty than the £15,000 they could impose.
Acid containing about 20 tonnes of uranium and 160kg of plutonium escaped from a damaged pipe at the thermal oxide reprocessing plant, Thorp, at the Sellafield site, about 18km (11 miles) south of Whitehaven in Cumbria. The spillage was discovered by BNG officials in April 2005 but is understood to have gone unnoticed for eight months before that.
The accident has cost £50 million and the facility remains out of action, although BNG hopes it will be able to obtain regulatory approval to restart the facility later this summer.
BNG, which is to be sold to the private sector next year, told the court that all the leaked radioactive material had been contained within Thorp, that no one had been injured, and that there had been no risk to the public.
Later it said in a statement: "We deeply regret the incident and have pleaded guilty to the charges brought by the HSE. This matter has been referred to the crown court for sentencing and clearly we cannot comment on the details of the case while legal proceedings are under way."
An inquiry report into the accident makes clear that the breaches relate to failures by the company to make and comply with written instructions and ensure that safety systems were in good working order and leaks were detected.
Martin Forwood, a spokesman for Cumbrians Opposed to Radioactive Environment, said: "BNG's own investigation into the accident admitted significant levels of negligence and incompetence by Thorp workers as . . . contributing to the accident." - (Guardian service)
While welcoming the court's decision, Minister for the Environment Dick Roche said he would reserve further comment until the nature of the penalties was decided. Labour spokesman Emmet Stagg said the charges were proof positive that the facility should be scrapped, while Fine Gael spokesman Fergus O'Dowd urged that the penalty imposed be the toughest possible. The Green Party's environment spokesman, Ciarán Cuffe, said he hoped this sent a strong message to Tony Blair and Bertie Ahern that nuclear power was not the solution to energy shortages.