I y al

Decommissioning plO

French Nukes -contents Comment Nuclear State, Police State 3 The Government's nuclear waste policy is in dis­ The erosion of civil liberties array. Sea dumping has been postponed for fur­ by Steve Martin. ther research, Billingham has been abandoned and News 4-6 the Orcadians are opposing ENSEC's sea dumping The Case for Coal 7 proposals for Stormy Bank. Against this A look at coal vs. nuclear by Rab Amos. background experienced 'Wally Watchers' will have N PT - No Peace Tomorrow (3) 8 noticed the C EGB supremo expressing his opinion Britain and Article VI by Jos Gallacher. on the problem to the Commons environment Calling All Subs 9 committee. He suggested storing high and inter­ Radio communications complex for mediate level wastes for a •couple of hundred Galloway? by Steve Martin. years• and discontinuing reprocessing of spent Decommissioning 1G-11 fuel. His reasons are that there is a surplus of u­ The need for legislation in the US ranium and plutonium in store making reproces­ by Steve Martin. sing the expensive option, and the urgency of nuc­ They're no Comin' and They're no Dumpin' 12 lear waste disposal has been exaggerated. If Sir The nuclear threat to Orkney Wally's opinion carries any weight, and past re­ by Frances McK ie. cords indicate that it does, then a change in policy Radwaste- the Need for Debate (1) 13 may be on the cards. (However, the CEGB may A review of the ICSU report just be using scare tactics to reduce their fuel by Don Arnott. cycle costs.) Nucleaire Non Merci 14 SCRAM is closely watching the waste debate Uneconomic French nuclear power and Don Arnott•s waste column (part 1 appears by Miriam Boyle and Mike Robinson. on page 13) will keep our readers up to date. Wind Energy 15 The Sizewelllnquiry is finally over. Frank Lay­ Recent technical developments field can have a rest before he begins to read 16 by Jamie Taylor. million words and produce his Report at the end Appropriate Technology 16-17 of the year. No such respite for the opposition Reviews 18-19 - FoE is preparing The Alternative Sizewell Re­ Diary, Little Black Rabbit 20 port for publication in the autumn, with the help of other individuals who were involved at the In­ Rab Amos is an NUM member of Monktonhall quiry. · Following the conclusion of our AG R series Colliery CND. in the last SCRAM journal, we intend to run a ser­ Jos Gallacher is a freelance researcher on pro­ ies on the Magnox stations starting next issue. liferation. Any reader with knowledge of their Magnox neigh- . Frances McKie is a member of the Dunters, the bour please get in touch with us. We hope to pro­ Orkney Environmental Concern Society. duce a pamphlet on the AGR's soon, so could any­ Don Arnott is a former Consultant to the 1nter­ one interested in buying a copy please contact national Atomic Energy Agency. us to give us an idea of the print run required. Miriam Boyle and Mike Robinson are lecturers at Manchester University Geography Dept. SCRAM Jamie Taylor is an electrical engineer specialis­ The SCRAM Annual General Meeting was held ing in wind energy research. at the Forth Street Offices on February 12th this year. Although attended by only 10 people, much This magazine is produced for the British Anti-Nuclear and was discussed and SCRAM's future seems secure. Safe Energy movements by the Scottish Campaign to Resist The interim steering committee appointed at the Atomic Menace (SCRAM). SCRAM, 11 Forth Street, Edinburgh EH 1 3LE. the emergency meeting in January was expanded Tel: 031 557 4283/4. and agreed to carry on until SCRAM manages to Editor: Steve Martin incorporate as a limited company. Steve•s Layout: Wilf Plum Typesetting: Rosie Bell appointment as full time worker was confirrtaec:l News Editor: George Baxter and it was agreed to contact the tax office. An­ Reviews Editor: Rosie Bell other worker to run the office systems is still des­ ISSN 0140 7340 Bi-monthly. perately required as the production of the Journal Articles, news shorts, letters etc are always welcome. is taking up most of the time which means that Deadline for next issue- articles, lrd May, news, 10th May. important administrative work is losing out. 2 SCRAM Journal April '85/May '85 Nuclear State

Events during the miners' strike and - Ponting 2, may hammer it home. those of the past couple of months clear­ By not screening the 20/20 Vision ly indicate that the Police State is de­ programme on MI5 when it was scheduled finitely with us, and has been for some the IBA have performed a great service considerable time. The erosion of civil for the Freedom of Information Cam­ liberties is accelerating at an alarming paign. Many more people must have seen rate. Citizens involved in industrial dis­ it when it was eventually transmitted putes and those openly critical of on Friday 8th March than the probable government policy have been the targets original audience. The IBA banned the of surveillance, restrictive legislation original screening on the advice of their and even violence by servants of the lawyers that it might attract prosecution state. The whole issue of civil liberties under section 2. However, following the is moving itself to the top of the poli­ screening of the film in three cinemas tical agenda a~ with the Freedom of and the distribution of the tape by that Information Campaign receiving consid­ defender of the free Captain Richard erable backing from all political parties, Branson through Virgin record stores, on the height of the boundary fence or the days of ow secret laws seem to be and Sir Michael Havers' decision not to the colour of the walls. In fact the voice numbered. However, new legislation not risk political suicide by prosecuting so may not even be heard. Written submis­ yet on the Statute Books could be worse closely on the heels of the Ponting ac­ sions only may be requested, as in than our present laws. quittal, the IBA lifted their self-imposed France. Of particular concern are the Apart from the right to work, cher­ ban. proposals for the dumping of nuclear ished by the Conservatives during the The ban itself, and the subsequent waste. Ministers fear that the wastes miners' strike, there are other rights revelation of the content of the will continue to accumulate while the which have been ignored at best, and programme, whipped up a storm of pro­ inquiries hear evidence from a large crushed at worst. Road blocks erected test in Parliament and in the media, number of interested parties. There is during the strike are a blatant infringe­ which resulted in the appointment of one way to stop this happening, as hinted ment of the right of freedom of move­ Lord Bridge of Harwich to carry out an by Lord Flowers in the Royal Commis­ ment. This tactic was used against sup­ inquiry into phone tapping, or so we were sion report of 1976. Stop producing the porters of the Molesworth Peace Camp meant to believe. The remit of the in­ stuff until you know what to do with it, when the alert went out on the phone quiry was so strict as to make the whole and where to put it. We all agree that tree that eviction was imminent. Some exercise completely useless. No warrant Public Inquiries are not ideal methods people did manage to arrive only to find was issued in breach of the guidelines, of dealing with such serious issues, but a massive policlng operation like at the the report stated. This means either that the answer is to make them better and Orgreave coking works, or even Goose the report is not factually correct or to introduce public involvement in the Green, that surveillance was carried out without decision-making process at the beginn­ And now we learn that residents of knowledge of the Home Secretary of se­ ing, not to scrap them and push deci­ villages surrounding Molesworth are to veral governments. sions on people just because you have an impregnable majority in the House be issued with identification passes 'in Official Leaks the interests of good community rela­ of Commons. Because we won't accept tions' - the thin end of a substantial Another recent (official) leak, which it. wedge. Religious services at the site had may not initially seem to be connected On top of all this is the abolition of more police officers than worshippers, to civil liberties is the Cabinet's reported the Metropolitan Councils, Rate C:app­ when they were allowed at all, with the 'serious concern' about delays caused ing, banning of trades unions at GC HQ, carefully built chapel confined behind by public inquiries. lt is felt that allow­ the attempt to remove the funding of coils of barbed wire. Such images from ing public discussion on policy issues may the major opposition party and many behind the Iron Curtain would have at­ be a bad idea. Instead the suggestion is more. And don't forget Hilda Murrell. tracted vehement condemnation from to get general approval in Parliament Whoever murdered her, it was not a pet­ Cabinet ministers. Here Field Marshal for large and important developments ty burglar. When the truth is eventually Heseltine presided over the scene in full then to carry out a brief local inquiry known there is going to be one hell of battle dress! where objectors could voice their opinion a banana skin for someone! Official Secrets Steve Martin Then there is the Official Secrets Act, particularly Section 2. Sarah Tisdall made a brief appearance last year in the Police State trailer for the main programme: the Ponting Show Trial. The incompetent way which the Government dealt with the case drew more publicity than it may otherwise have attracted, and the Judge's direction to the jury must have contributed as much as anything to the not guilty verdict. Even a vetted jury realises when it is being used for poli­ tical ends. The result could be seen as a leakers' charter, in the interests of the State of course. This should have been the last nail in the coffin for sec­ tion 2, but it wasn't. The sequel, Massiter

SCRAM Journal Aprii'85/May '85 3 I Industry News I

Brazil is considering a shake-up of the to 2003 in repayments. However, because 'China Is facing a decisive choice... be­ nuclear Industry since President the programme still has popular support, tween whether or not to make nuclear Tancredo Neves was elected after 21 is less dependent on foreign technology energy a long-term development stra­ years of military rule. Neves is and represents the most significant en­ tegy.' This quote comes from a paper committed to social and economic re­ ergy source, it could still be salvaged entitled 'The decline of the world nuclear form and may not see the nuclear power by reasonable funding. industry' written, not by antinuclear ac­ programme, which has already swallowed New Scientist 211.1.15 tivists but by Yang Haiqun of the Eco­ up $4 billion and needs new investment, nomic lnsltute of the State Planning as a high priority, especially as Brazil Commission in China. has plentiful hydroelectric potential. Yang proposes that, apart from those To complete the two reactors already France is ready to sell Israel two nuclear projects already under way, no more nuc­ under construction will cost $850m a reactors for electricity production. lear power stations should be built In year until 1990, including all the back Sources in Paris have confirmed that Chini!• Instead, the paper argues, up services. This contract is with West the issue was raised last month when renewable energy technologies should German firms who are insisting that a the Israeli Prime Minister Shimon Peres be investigated and industrialised as fast further four plants must be built to just­ met the French President Mitterand and as possible. Yang blames the slowing ify the fuel-cycle facilities. For this rea­ Prime Minister Laurent Fabius. down of world nuclear programmes, as son the government may get out of the The French readiness was expressed seen in OECD publications, on contract to cut their losses and rely In­ last March, when a secret French delega­ economics, nuclear waste management stead on an 'indigenous' programme based tion met their Israeli counterparts. Un­ and the problems of decommlssloning on the early National Commission for der consideration is a type of reactor nuclear p1ants. Nuclear Energy (CNEN), largely respons­ capable of generating 950Mw. The deal ible for nuclear research, instead of the is estimated at $4000 million. , / present Brazil Nuclear Corporation (Nuc­ Unlike the USA, the French Govern­ ·' ;t /) lebras) which is running the programme ment will not make the deal dependent ,r with the West German firms. This would on Israel's signing of the non-prolifera­ , / be welcomed by the Brazilian scientific tion treaty. Israel has refused to sign community who have resented the inter­ the treaty since French technicians built national involvement in their the nuclear plant at Dlmona In the Negev programme. desert In the late 1950's. French officials have been embar­ Argentina is also having nuclear rassed and describe the reports as 'irre­ programme problems since President sponsible leaks from both sides', because Alfonsin's civilian government came to they are also conducting secret negotia­ power in December 1983. lt no longer tions with Iraq t~ rebuild the nuclear has a high priority and its budget has reactor near Baghdad, destroyed three The paper was published in a leading been severely reduced. The electricity and a half years ago by the Israeli .1\ir Beijing journal and it is believed that distribution office has reduced the rate Force. it pays for nuclear electricity, which it therefore must have had high level The official Israeli nuclear policy, has meant that the two plants, Atucha support. Political observers state that declared in the early 1960's by Prime 1 and Embalse, are running at a loss. such articles in the past have indicated Minister Levi Eshkol, was that, 'we will a shift in policy. Western nuclear power The Argentina National Commission not be the first to introduce a nuclear companies must look on this with some for Nuclear Energy (CNEA) required weapon in the Middle East.' During 1977- apprehension - they have been expecting $9S0m for maintenance and construction 1984, however, the policy was modified large orders from China in the future. in 19811 but finally received only $150m into 'not allowing Arab countries to de­ The Guangdong power station, China's by the time all the money was re leased velop nuclear capabilities.' first full-sized plant, could be the last. in November 1984. At S800m, CNEA's Jane's Defence Weekly New Scientist 14.2.85 foreign debt requires $42m per year up Vol. 2. No. 211. 22.12.111 IDruridge The Druridge Bay Campaign is picking employment prospects being better with up recruits all along the way for the coal fired power stations in relation to campaign against the construction of jobs in mining. Berwick Tories have at­ a nuclear power station on the tended meetings and have indicated that picturesque coastline of Northumberland. they may affiliate. A sponsored run along the beach was held Bridget Gubbins, the Campaign Press on 24th February which attracted nearly Officer, commented, 'The campaign is 3SO participants. Among the runners broad based. Despite divergent views were 9 members of the Royal Shakes­ on other matters, opposition to nuclear peare Company. The run raised £800 for Druridge is one matter upon which we the campaign. all agree. As in Billingham, all party op­ A surprise recruit is the Northumber­ position is a strong weapon. We welcome land area SDP who have adopted a 'No Conservative involvement, and hope Nuclear Power Stations at Druridge' pol­ more Tories will join us.' icy in contrast to the leadership's view that nukes are the greatest thing since The possibility of spent fuel move­ claret. The Northumberland policy states ments from Hartle~f, Torness and Dru­ its opposition for reasons of: safety, vis­ ridge through Northumberland is also ual intrusion, cost, no proven need, and strongly opposed by the Campaign.

SCRAM Journal April '85/May '85 I Nuclear Transport-Radwaste News I Atomic Energy Agency's 'Regulation for At the FoE conference in January it was the Safe Transport of Radioactive Ma­ agreed to revive the anti-dumping net­ terials' has just been published. The new work that had been formed at the time edition was approved by the Agency's of applications for drilling for high-level Board of Governors in September last waste dumps. year and contains the first major changes A publication along the lines of the in the Regulations since the 1973 revi­ now demised Atomic Times will probably sion. lt is the result of four years of in­ be produced to act as a clearing house A referendum in 1982 in Massachusetts ternational effort. for information on dumping. There is registered a 68% vote in favour of a law One major difference from previous no intention to restrict this information requiring state-wide approval before a editions is the replacement of the word to FoE members or groups. low-level nuclear waste site is built on 'exempted' by the word •excepted'. Ex­ Contact: Ed Darby, Loughborough FoE, before the state enters into joint ven­ cepted packages are those which contain 51 Barrow Road. Q~ Loughborough, tures with other states for a regional sufficiently small quantities of radioac­ Leics. site (medical and bio-research institu­ tive material to be excepted from most tions are exempt from the law.) The design and use requirements, although work of the Masschusetts Nuclear Refer­ certain requirements, assuring that their A 'major international business group' endum Committee (MNRC) was respons­ contents will be Identified on opening has approached the government of Na­ ible for the overwhelming public vote. and they will be handled and transported mibia with a proposal to dump nuclear The MN RC was formed as a result of safely, must be met. Three types of 'In­ waste from German and America nuclear the failure, and subsequent difficult and dustrial Packages• are now recognised. firms in return for about $800 million expensive clean-up, of 3 out of the 6 na­ Two new tests have been introduced. per year. The proposal was first aired tional dumps. A 'dynamic crush' test involves dropping in the South West African white assemb­ Since government and industry have a SOOkg mass from 9m onto a specimen ly by Finance Minister Jannie de Wet failed to repeal the law, and they realise package positioned on a target so as to who urged that the proposal not be re­ that it could politically destroy any suffer maximum damage. This test is jected 'out of hand' as they could earn chance for a dump in the state, repre­ only for light weight and low density more than the nation's annual budget sentatives of MNRC have been appointed packages. The other test is a •water im­ by accepting the proposal!! to the Special Legislative Commission mersion• test for packages containing WISE 14.2.85 on Low Level Waste and the Governor's irradiated fuel. The specimen package Advisory Group. MNRC have also been is immersed under a head of water of hired to draft the procedures by which at least 200m for a period of not less siting regulations would be developed. than one hour. However, even with this political Low Specific Activity (LSA) Material influence MN RC are still holding by their and Low-Level Solid Radioactive Mater­ five primary demands:- development of ial categories have been replaced by a comprehensive management plan; three groups of LSA material and two maximum source reduction; waste separ­ groups of Surface Contaminated Object ation by toxicity. longevity and other (SCO) - an object which is not itself ra­ hazards; use of technologies that allow dioactive but has radioactive material for multiple barriers, monitoring and distributed on its surface. The previous retrievability in case of leakage; and categories could be transported in pack­ a meaningful decision-making role for ages requiring much less stringent pro­ the public throughout the process. cedures. Low-Level Solid Radioactive Federal law requires each state to Material could be transported in strong find a 'solution' to its radioactive waste industrial packaging. The modification 1 Electricity problem by 1986. Policy decisions are of package activity limits have taken being made this autumn. into account previously unconsidered The Government is considering replacing In this country this sort of exposure sources. the present statutory break-even duty programme could make a lot of differ­ The new Regulations are generally on the electricity supply industry and ence: NIREX should be more publicly tighter than the previous ones, with a replacing it with a system of accountable, they should publish their more specific packaging procedure. lt legally-based financial targets. The pro­ list of potential dump sites now and the therefore follows that what was before posals would 'almost inevitably lead to environmental movement should be in­ presumed safe is now regarded in a less dearer electricity and are totally con­ volved in the policimaking discussions favourable light: individuals handling trary to the interests of electricity con­ - so long as we keep to our principal de­ radioactive materials in the past may sumers'. warns the Electricity mands, very similar to those of the Mas­ have been inadequately informed about Consumers' Council. sachusetts group. these packages. Are future revisions of The Council will 'vigorously oppose No Nuclear News the Regulations going to produce even the proposals' which run contrary to the Winter'84 tighter restrictions? Electricity Boards' legal duty to produce NRPB's Radiological Protection Bulletin 63 electricity at the cheapest possible price. The Government proposes that I Uranium the Industry's reserves will be capitalised The largest uranium mine in the Middle and converted to Government debt on East could be developed 'within two which interest or dividends would be paid years' according to Reza Amrollhai, the to the Treasury. 'These reserves••• head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organisa­ morally belong to the consumers who tion (AEO). Three years after the initial have contributed to the Industry's discovery the AEO has confirmed that finances over the years. Such a move the reserves in the Saghand region are would be a quite improper diversion of 5000 tonnes. The grade of the ore is not funds', concluded the Council. known. New Scientist 14.2.85 SCRAM Journal April '85/May '85 5 I Reactors Faslane New si

The clean-up of the infamous Three Mile The Peace Camp got its 5 year planning Island PWR is proving to be far more permission without much problem. We dangerous and expensive than anyone haven't got rats, have got sanitation and imagined. The orginal estimate in 1979 the dustbins get emptied every was that it would cost $200 million and Wednesday••• would take two years to complete. Five years later, halfway through the clean­ up, the cost has escalated to $500 million and is expected to reach $1 billion. Workers are bought for $10 an hour to work in intolerable conditions without adequate safety precautions. One wor­ ker, Terry Stickley, who fought in the Anyway, the nuclear warhead Korean and Vietnam wars, said working got stopped on its monthly trip to at TMI was more stressful than war. 'I Coulport from Burghfield. We decided never had any problem with alcohol until we would do the action in Helensburgh A team of Australian nuclear specialists I went to TMI. We worked all day and as we wanted the local people to realise has been invited by Indonesia to work drank all night.• what risks the MOD are prepared to take at a new atomic research reactor built Or John Gofman, professor of medi­ with their lives - and how it could be in Java. The move is intended to dispel cal physics at the University of Califor­ stopped!! We'd been watching out for Australian fears that Indonesia might nia, believes federal regulations on al­ 10 days - we'd had a message it had been be developing nuclear weapons. The offer lowable radiation exposures 'are perhaps seen north of Birmingham and it wasn't was announced during a four-day official the greatest fraud perpetrated on work- until a week and a half later that it visit to Indonesia by Australia's Science ers.• appeared, having come via Stirling and Minister, Mr Barry Jones. 'The whole idea of these limits is to going through Bonhill,which is a particu­ con people into thinking that there are larly dangerous road. An Iranian claim that Iraqi aircraft ex­ safe levels of radiation,' said Gofman, Knowing it usually took the same ecuted an unsuccessful attack on the eo-discoverer of Uranium 233. 'There route on the way back (though not uncompleted 1300Mw nuclear power sta­ are no safe levels.• always!), we got into Helensburgh before tion at Boushahar on 12 February has The Charlotte Observer 17. 2. 85 it left Coulport on its return journey and been rejected in Baghdad. A military hid in the public toilets on the pier. A spokesman denied that Iraq had carried police van arrived just before the out such a raid. An earlier attack was convoy. We tried to walk calmly out in mounted on 24 March 1984. the road in front of it with a banner Jane's Defence Weekly saying 'Stop!' but the police started Vol. 3. No. 9. 2.3.85 chasing up the road after us and we were roughly bundled off the road. We did manage to hold it up for a few I Nuclear Links minutes and seven of us were arrested (for 'breaching the peace'••• ) The China has no intention, now nor in the support unit, it turned out, were 'V' unit, future, of helping non-nuclear countries a riot police unit from Glasgow, and develop nuclear weapons, Vice Premier complaints have been made at the way Li Peng said in Peking. China would a­ A wing nut was lost in the core of the they handled us. In the cells the local bide by the stipulations of the Interna­ number 1 reactor at the Torness nuclear police were completely different, asking tional Atomic Energy Agency, and re­ power station, under construction n~ar folk how many sugars in their tea they strict nuclear co-operation with other Dunbar in East Lothian. lt was reported took, and dishing out cigs generously countries to peaceful purposes only, he that the offending item was removed (they'd been handed in by supporters). added. by workmen using 'makeshift fishing rods After being thanked for their hospitality, Jane's Defence Weekly with a magnet at the end.' The South the local inspector almost asked us back. Vol. 3. No. 6. 9.2.85 of Scotland Electricity Board, however, And one of us mananged to smuggle in hotly disputes this view. wool and an embroidery needle, leaving The SSEB spokesman stated that, a rainbow coloured message: 'There are rigorous checking procedures The Non-Proliferation Treaty Exporters' to ensure that any object such as this Committee (known as the Zangger com­ is located as soon as possible. lt was lo­ mittee after its Swiss chairman Claude cated on Friday evening in this case••• lt Zangger) is to publish an expanded list was not the sort of thing we could expect of components and materials likely to to happen very often because there are be used in reprocessing plants. The so­ rigid controls. But it is a building site called 'trigger list' should be part of sup­ and things go wrong••• There was no ques­ plier countries' national legislation by tion of makeshift fishing rods. That The camp's extended now with May. The trigger list contains 'dual-use' would be too. silly to be true. As far as caravans on a new site. We still need equipment and materials which could we can say, they use some sophisticated more visitors, money(!), and we are be used for clandestine weapons produc­ electromagnetic device'••• on the end of willing to visit groups to talk about the tion. The Zangger committee updated makeshift fishing rods we presume. camp, Trident (which is getting close) the gas centrifuge trigger list last year However, we remember 'Harry the and the nuclear warhead convoy. and is expected to begin work on updat­ Hammer' left in the core of the Heysham Phill ing the heavy water production plant 1 number 1 reactor! Work on the new Coulport extension list. . Scotsman 18.2.85 where new silos are to be built is due Nucleonics Week 111.2.85 East Lothian Courier 22.2.85 to start this spring.

6 SCRAM Journal April '85/May '85 come. Even without accidents nuclear power The Case for Coal poses a serious threat to the environment in how to dispose of the waste. The The coal strike hasn't left the pages of nates. American coal comes largely waste from a coal mine can be used in the Press or the screens of the Television from opencast mines: the US coal com­ many ways, e.g. road building or simply for the last year. Even now, as the media panies are prepared to tear up much of to fill in the roads and shafts of an and Government are proclaiming the de­ the land in their desperation for profits. exhausted colliery. Similarly, coal-fired feat of the NUM, and particularly the Thus, comparisons between British and power station waste has many uses:­ 'leadership', we are bombarded with pro­ foreign coal are not as obvious as Mac­ reclamation of land, building materials, paganda. Yet the real issues have rarely, Gregor and Thatcher argue. etc. Moreover, after its useful life a coal if ever, been discussed. The Government However, the state of the pound station can be demolished and the land continues with its energy policy of no against the dollar, as economists and returned to its natural state. The same policy and refuses to listen to critics, the CBI argue, is a tremendous boost cannot be said of nuclear power stations from whichever quarter. For this reason for British exports. British coal should or their waste. We must applaud the SCRAM is printing this article, by Rab be able to undermine our main competi­ environmentalists for bringing these pro­ Amos of the NUM at Monktonhall Col­ tors in the international coal markets. blems to the notice of the public, which liery in Midlothian. to put the case for The miners' dispute has cost the Central resulted in the National Union of Sea­ coal. lt is a sorry story of disproportion­ Electricity Generating Board over £2 men's ban on the dumping of nuclear ate investment, a headlong rush into nuc­ billion due to the substitution of oil for waste at sea. Without this type of pres­ lear pb1!fer without considering the long coal, turning the electricity industry sure there would not have been inquiries term effects and a systematic attack from one of profit to one of loss. This into the controls of waste disposal from on the democratic institutions of this clearly indicates that British coal has Sellafield nor the criticisms that are country. been subsidising industry for many years. contained within the reports previously There are two dominant energy Not only has the CEGB increased its re­ mentioned. liance on oil but the inefficient nuclear sources used for generating electricity Political Decisions in this country: indigenous fossil fuels power stations are working well below - coal, oil and gas - and nuclear power. their design capacity. This view was In my view there are important de­ Gas and oil have a limited future and supported by the 1981 Monopolies and cisions to be mader and they are will probably be almost exhausted by Mergers Commission report on the CEGB undoubtedly of a political nature. The the end of the century, whereas. coal, which clearly stated that the past nuc­ 'Ridley Report' published in the Econo­ using present technology, has a lifespan lear investment has shown little direct mist in 1978 outlined a future Conserva­ of 300 years which could extend by an­ return and a serious net loss. tive Government's policy on how it would other 500 years with new technology. The major problem in trying to find deal with trades unions, especially the Nuclear power relies on outside sources the true costs of nuclear power, as with National Union of Mineworkers. Further for its fuel - uranium - and if the Pres­ other nationalised industries, is the to that, the stance the Government has surised Water Reactor is adopted it will CEGB's obscure accounting methods, taken during the miners' dispute, where also have to rely on foreign technology. methods which would be totally unac­ the original demand that 4 million tonnes To understand the arguments for coal ceptable in private industry. Neverthe­ of capacity must be removed from the or nuclear we must look at the less, the Committee for the Study of output of tlie British coal mmmg economics because that is the basic cri­ the Economics of Nuclear Electricity, industry, has been nullified by the 80 terion that the present Government chaired by Sir Kelvin Spencer, published million tonnes lost due to the dispute. works by (or so it would seem.) First, its Special Report in 1982. The conclu­ lt is quite clear that if this Government let us look at the coal industry. Coal sion the Committee came to was that, is to carry out its monetarist policies mining, like any other industry, relies if one compares two power stations of then it must neuter the Trade Union on investment to ensure high product­ equal capacity, one coal and the other Movement. Furthermore, the US cutback ivity, but because of the Government nuclear, the nuclear station, over its 20 in the domestic nuclear power and the National Coal Board (NCB) atti­ year operating life, would cost £2 billion programme and their stance of non-pro­ tude over a number of years, 81% of in­ more to run. liferation of nuclear technology to other vestment has been concentrated in the Envir""mental Factors countries (especially of a socialist nat­ central coalfield belt of Yorkshire and ure) is putting severe pressure on US Nottinghamshire, leaving the residue Then we must consider other factors companies such as Westinghouse, whose to be divided between Scotland, South in our comparison, namely safety and PWR design is proposed for Sizewell B. Wales and the North East. This starva­ the environment. The pro-nuclear lobby 1t would appear that Britain is being used tion of investment reduces productivity often uses the argument that there have as a back door to sell their nuclear tech­ and increases costs, leaving these areas been less fatalities due to nuclear power nology throughout the world - particu­ open to the charge of being uneconomic. than there have been due to coal mining. larly to China. Coal is Cheap This is without doubt true, but we must Finally, when multinational oil com­ look at the potential danger if we are panies are buying up coalfields through­ The NCB and the Government argue to appreciate the safety problems of out the western world and turning them­ that cheap coal can be imported to meet both industries. In the coal mining selves into energy corporations, we must the needs of industry. This is certainly industry, with all is inherent dangers, question this Government's rationale in true but it is not as simple as that. Coal the maximum credible accident would cutting back this country's coal produc­ from Germany, France and Belgium is affect some 1000 miners but have no tion ••• or is that rationale a ripening of subsidised by an average of E14 per effect on the surrounding area. The po­ plum investments for these companies? tonne, compared with £3/tonne in Bri­ tential dangers of a nuclear power sta­ British coal belongs to the British people. tain. South African coal is produced at tion accident is of a different order of lt is a product with many uses, only one the expense of the freedom and liberty magnitude, affecting not only workers of which is the generation of electricity. of our black brothers and sisters who but also hundreds of thousands of people The same cannot be said of nuclear po­ daily risk their lives for a mere pittance in the surrounding area, not to mention wer, whose main by-product is plutonium and live in abject poverty to ensure high the effects that such a disaster would for the creation of weapons of mass de­ profits for the South African coal mag- have on the environment for years to struction.

SCRAM Journal Aprii'85/May '85 7 NPT ~No Peace Tomorrow

This is the third article in our series on gued that only weapons belonging to the the Non-Proliferation Treaty. The series US or the USSR could be discussed. In is discussing the issues involved in the fact, under US law (the Jackson amend­ Treaty and examines particular clauses ment), passed at the time of SALT 1, in some detail. Here Jos Gallacher looks all arms control agreements must impose at Britain's responsibilities to negotiate equal limits on the two countries. on nuclear disarmament as embodied in Article VI of the Treaty. He is critical East/West Imbalance of the way Britain's unilateral rearma­ Britain argued that her weapons could ment and refusal to include Polaris in not be included in INF as the Polaris mis­ the START and INF talks have siles were not 'intermediate' but 'stra­ undermined non-proliferation discussions. tegic' weapons. Logically, this argument He suggests that British unilateral dis­ implies that British weapons should be armament and support of the Compre­ included in the START talks. The deci­ hensive Test Ban Treaty could facilitate' sion to replace Polaris with the far more non-proliferation. capable Trident makes the logic even justifies owning its own weapons in addi­ In the 1950's and 1960's British more compelling. In 1980 the govern­ tion to the American nuclear force in governments used to argue that the pos­ ment announced its decision to buy the Europe 'on the grounds that a. 'second session of nuclear weapons gave Britain 8 warhead Trident C4 missile. This would centre of decision' increases Soviet un­ entry to the 'top table' where disarma­ increase the number of targets Britain's certainty. Finally Trident is presented ment was discussed. However in the strategic missiles could attack from 64 as an insurance for an uncertain future 1970's and 1980's, when limits and reduc­ to 512. In 1982 it was decided to opt for in which NATO may cease to exist. tions of nuclear weapons were the Trident 05 instead. Although 05 is No-one will be persuaded of the ad­ negotiated, Britain excluded herself from capable of delivering 14 warheads, in­ vantages of non-proliferation by a coun­ the talks. The SALT (Strategic Arms creasing the total of targets to 896, the try whose actions demonstrate a power­ Limitation Talks), START (Strategic government declared that the 05 force ful belief in the security benefits of nuc­ Arms Reduction Talks) and INF (Inter­ would carry no more warheads than had lear weapons. If a 'second centre of deci­ mediate Nuclear Forces) talks have aB been intended with C4. sion' enhances deterrence then would been bilateral and covered only Ameri­ In START the US was proposing an not also a thirdr Or a fourth? If the se­ can and Soviet weapons. overall limit of 5000 warheads on each curity offered by the North Atlantic Britain's exclusion from SALT, which side•. Britain's planned force would have Treaty cannot be trusted, then neither ran from 1969 to 1979, is understandable. given the West an extra 10% - at least can the security offered by the Britain's 64 strategic launchers are insig­ -above the limit. Non-Proliferation Treaty. nificant compared to the 2,250 limit on French nuclear force modernisation launchers set in SALT 2. The impetus presented similar problems but Britain Test Ban Treaty for SALT derived from the belief that is more culpable for two reasons. Firstly, One set of nuclear arms negotiations the USA and the USSR had reached a Britain's nuclear weapons are committed to which Britain has been a party is the rough parity in the numbers of strategic to NATO and therefore jointly targetted talks on a Comprehensive Test Ban nuclear weapons. In addition the Sovi~t with the US weapons. And secondly Bri­ Treaty (CTBT). From 1977 to 1980 the Union participated in the talks to gain tain is obliged, under Article VI of the UK, USSR and the USA held tripartite recognition of its status as a Superpower NPT, to pursue negotiations on disarm­ talks on CTBT. British and American equal to the United States. Britain's ab­ ament. lack of interest has prevented talks being sence simplified, and probably Britain Undermines N PT resumed since 1980, despite strong pres­ facilitated, these talks. sure from the non-aligned countries at By contrast the negotiations on Britain's unilateral rearmament has the United Nations Conference on Dis­ START and INF could not ignore the Bri­ undermined non-proliferation in a mor~ · armament (UNCD). However, there are tish and French nuclear forces, and Bri­ direct way. In order to justify the expan­ now signs that the UK and the US may tish refusal to let them be counted be­ sion of the British arsenal, the Govern­ allow a committee of the UNCD to begin came a major obstacle to agreement. ment has emphasised the advantages the negotiations this year. At the INF talks the Soviets argued that possession of nuclear weapons brings. Non-aligned countries see a parallel their missiles should be balanced against Peace, it is claimed, is guaranteed by between the NPT and the CTBT. One all Western missiles, the Americans ar- nuclear deterrence. Further, Britain puts a cap on the number of countries with nuclear weapons, the other puts a cap on the arsenals of existing nuclear weapons states. The obligations of one falls mostly on non-nuclear weapons states and the other on nuclear weapons states. The CTBT would also complement SALT type limits by preventing the qua­ litative improvements in nuclear wea­ pons designs. Britain cannot sustain both a policy of nuclear deterrence and a policy of nuclear non-proliferation. British uni­ lateral disarmament, coupled with sup­ port for a Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty, would bring new strength to the collapsing non-proliferation regime.

8 SCRAM Journal April '85/May '85 ,~~it:~:~~ J Calling All Subs ------="' l ~ ------=":iit-____-_ xi?

The Ministry of Defence has plans for length requires a very long transmitting *lt is intended to use the ELF system a huge communications complex capable aerial. A standard half-wavelength an­ to extend the operational capacity of of transmitting signals thousands of tenna would need to be at least 1250 the US Navy's SSN's (nuclear-powered miles to nuclear submarines deep miles long which is obviously physically, attack submarines) which are now beneath the ocean. A possible site for economically and environmentally im­ equipped with nuclear-armed Tomahawk it is Mullwarchar in the south Aynhire practical. To alleviate this problem both cruise missiles for use in •strategic re­ hills, which featured in a fiercely con­ ends of the antenna can be grounded in serve role'. These subs make more use tested public inquiry into the proposals highly resistive rock, forcing the signal of speed and depth and are involved in for a high level nuclear waste dump. to travel many miles underground to the special missions such as intelligence ga­ The MoD plans were exposed in a re­ other terminal. This method has been thering. cent report issued by the Armament and used by the US Navy for their ELF trans­ Western Isles MP Donald Stewart Disarmament Information Units of the mitter in Wisconsin and Michigan - the raised the matter of ELF in Parliament Sussex University Science Policy most recent example being 84 miles long in December last year and received the Research Unit, entitled Extremely Low and costing an estimated $230 million. reply, 'There is a naval requirement for Frequency (ELF) Communications for The other problem is that ELF sig­ such a site in Scotland. Several mainland SUbmarine~ a Baclqp'ound Briefing on nals, by virtue of the law which states areas are under consideration, although British Plan& The report states that the that the amount of information which no firm decision has yet been taken.• Minister of State for the Armed Forces, can be carried on a signal decreases with The performance of the ELF antenna the Rt Hon John Stanley MP, replied to its wavelength, take several minutes to depends on its location. The antenna ar­ a written Parliamentary Question on De­ transmit even a single character. This ray must be located in an area which cember Sth 1984 that an ELF communi­ low 'data rate' must seriously limit the has bedrock of a very low conductivity cations system for submarines was operational usefulness of ELF, although (granite is particularly suitable); the out­ needed .and would be sited on the main­ in applications such as 'one-way' alerting crop must be large enough to accomo­ land of Scotland. messages to SSBN's, this may not be a date an aerial of at least 28 miles in dia­ Local MP's, councillors, council offic­ particular drawback. meter (as in the case of the Michigan ials and conservationists are outraged The military requirement for the ELF facility); the rock must be relatively about the plans, particularly because system is to enable submarines to oper­ fault-free to ensure the area is of uni­ they had been kept in the dark. 'This is ate at greater depths yet still be in com­ formly low conductivity; the topography the first I have heard of this complex,' munication with their bases. The best must be moderately level to ease con­ said George Foulkes, the Labour MP for system presently in use (VLF - Very Low struction; and surface conditions must Carrlck, Cumnock and Doon Valley in Frequency) only allows the boats to pat­ be relatively dry to prevent leakage of whose constituency Mullwarchar lies. rol up to 30 feet deep whilst still being the signal into the wet soil. The site 'lt would ruin one of the most beautiful in touch. ELF has been demonstrated must also have a low population density. areas in Scotland. lt would not even bring as being capable of communicating with Opposition Grows work to a badly depressed area. The MoD a submarine travelling at 16 knots, 400 would bring in their own technicians to feet down in the Mediterranean. This The 'several mainland sites' have been build and staff it.' would force the USSR to spend 'billions narrowed down to three and informed Now the secret is out a vigorous pro­ of dollars' to regain their current detec­ sources indicate that Mullwarchar is test campaign is certain to develop, pos­ tion rate against US SSBN's, the Deputy likely to be the favourite, with Altna­ sibly even rivalling the successful cam­ Under-Secretary of Defence, Donald breac in Caithness as a close second. paign against the proposals to test drill Latham, said in justification to Congress This is because both areas have been ex­ to ascertain whether the area was suit­ in 1981. tensively surveyed for the waste disposal able for disposing of nuclear waste. Mull­ No Operational Need programme; Altnabreac is the only area warchar was chosen for the nuclear dust­ where test drilling was performed with­ bin because it is part of the Loch Doon However, all is not as military plan­ out public opposition. Granite Intrusion, which was thought ners would have us believe. A number lt is likely there will be fierce opposi­ to be particularly suitable for the deep of important arguments have been made tion at Mullwarchar whereas the Caith­ geological disposal of the heat producing against the ELF proposals:- ness site may be an easier option because wastes. The same rock type is apparently *Present communications allow SSBN's of the way the nuclear industry was ac­ an important requirement for the ELF to be in contact for 99.9% of the time, cepted into the area with open arms. communication systems. as required by the US Navy. However, there are a number of active *Despite being able to transmit to an CND groups in Caithness (including wor­ Aerials and Signals SSBN travelling at speed and at depth, kers at Dounreay) so it may not be as ELF is a radio communications sys­ the maximum depth from which these easy as the MoD believes. tem designed to transmit messages to missiles can be launched is unlikely to There is one other problem associated submerged submarines, particularly those exceed 1SO feet, and the subs spend their with ELF transmissions: health hazards. carrying ballistic missiles (SSBN's) such time travelling at slow speeds and rela­ The low frequency radiation from the as Trident. Because of their much longer tively shallow depths whilst on alert in communications base is similar to that wavelength, ELF !"adio signals are able order to remain as quiet as possible. given off from high voltage pylons. to penetrate the oceans to much greater *lt has been stated that at least 19,000 Health effects include headaches, black­ depths, thereby reducing the vulnerabi­ different encrypted three letter mess­ outs, depression - even cancer has been lity of patrolling SSBN's. The long wave­ ages can be transmitted. making the sys­ suggested. Any facility must therefore length also means that ELF communica­ tem something more than just a be isolated from the public, besides any tions have a very long range, providing 'bell-ringer' to order subs closer to the military considerations, and, in an area that the transmitter is sufficiently surface, which coupled with ELF's inabil­ under the control of the military, nuclear powerful. ity to survive a nuclear attack, brings waste dumping could go ahead without There are two major problems with the West a step nearer to first strike planning permission. ELF. Firstly, its extremely long wave- capability. Steve Martin

SCRAM Journal Aprii'85/May '85 9 In contrast to the other options, there is little relevant experience in dismantl­ Decommissioning ing. Dismantling is a permanent option, With the debate on nuclear waste disposal gathering more momentum recently an­ but whether it should be done immedi­ other aspect of the nuclear power programme is receiving less attention in the pub­ ately after plant shutdown or after a lic domain:- decommissioning. At the end of their operating life all machines, nuc­ delay provokes debate that remains un­ lear power stations included, become less efficient, technica.lly obsolete and often resolved. The reduced waste volumes dangerous. The machine then has to be dismantled. lt is not so simple with nuclear and occuptional exposures, the desire power stations. The following article has been extracted from a paper prepared in to let technology develop and experience early 1984 by Robert Bullock for the Washington-based Environmental Action accumulate, and utilities' political con­ Forum. The paper deals with the decommissioning debate in the United States of cerns argue for delayed dismantling. On Pressurised Water Reactors. AlttMK!gh they have a significantly different design to the other hand, concern over holding uti­ the gas-cooled reactors in this country, the paper provides some interesting general lities responsible for decommissioning, information on the subject. the desire to release nuclear sites for Decommissioning involves safely re­ be performed the plant must first under­ other use, the health and safety hazards moving a nuclear plant from service and go certain preparations: all of delay, and its potentially cheaper preventing its accumulated radioactivity non-contaminated systems must be costs support immediate dismantling. from endangering living things. The fis­ drained of fluids and selected radioactive But since each plant's characterisitics sion process produces unstable 'activa­ components must be decontaminated; vary greatly, whether delay is justified tion products', which have long half lives the waste produced, along with radio­ should be determined on a plant-by-plant and are permanently embedded in the active liquids, spent fuel and other irrad­ basis. reactor structures. This long-lived ra­ iated, non-fixed components within the Decommissioning Costs dioactivity makes decommissioning in­ reactor housing must then be transported evitable. Despite this inevitablity, de­ to permanent waste storage sites. The estimated costs of decommis­ commissioning has historically received Entombment: the complete isolation of sioning commercial nuclear power plants little attention, but scientific studies, radioactivity from the environment by have ranged from a few million dollars governmental interest and citizen activ­ means of massive concrete and metal to figures equalling a nuclear plant's con­ ism have prompted its examination. The barriers until the radioactivity has de­ struction and vary by as much as 250%. nuclear industry's financial and technical cayed to levels which permit Numerous variables render costs unpre­ problems and the several plants currently unrestricted release of the facility (N RC dictable, including: regulatory change, demanding decommissioning make it a definition). uncertainties in waste disposal and trans­ problem now. Since the discovery of the new activation port, the circumstances of a plant's oper­ Previously ignored activation products, this option is no longer con­ ations, and uncertainties in decommis­ products were discovered in the mid 70's sidered to be permanent. sioning technology. There is no exper­ which opened up a new dimension to the Mothballing: those activities required ience in decommissioning large nuclear decommissioning problem:- Nickel-59 to place••• and maintain••• a radioactive plants to serve as a basis for cost esti­ (half life of 80,000 years), Niobium-94 facility in such a condition that the risk mates, but related experience at Elk (20,000 years) and Carbon-14 (5,700 to safety is within acceptable bounds River, Dresden 1 and Three Mile Island years). This meant that the premise of and that the facility can be safely stored suggest that costs will be very great. Cobalt-60, with a half life of only 5.3 for as long a time as desired (NRC) On-going research into health haz­ years, being the controlling factor in The facility is left intact, the doors are ards, new technical problems, and a reactor's radioactive decay was seri­ locked, security guards are posted and increased public concern will ensure that ously challenged. lt also challenged as­ periodic maintenance and radiological there will need to be changes in regula­ sumptions of the length of time a decom­ surveys are performed. As above this tions. Of particular interest is the modi­ missioned reactor was deemed to be a method is not satisfactory. Indeed one fication and addition of equipment in health hazard. These discoveries would expect a mothballed plant to lose the reactors, for example new standards prompted government interest in decom­ its ability to contain radioactivity sooner to protect the Long Island Lighting Com­ missioning. than one covered in concrete, and there pany's Shoreham plant against In 1977 the General Accounting Of­ are also additional security problems. earthquakes meant cramming masses fice (GAO) attacked the Nuclear Regu­ Dismantling: all••• materials having acti­ of new equipment into the undersized latory Commission (NRC), the body re­ vities accepted unrestricted activity lev­ pressure vessel. Such a stuffed reactor sponsible for regulating the safety as­ els... should be removed from the site. could make operating and manoeuvering pects of nuclear power stations, for its If the facility owner so desires, the re­ the remotely controlled cutting equip­ poor regulations on decommissioning: mainder of the reactor facility may be ment very difficult and expensive. Utili­ The NRC has not paid much attention dismantled and all vestiges removed and ties often fail to record these modifica­ to one of the biggest problems that disposed of (N RC). tions which prompted the ex-head of may confront the public in the future the NRC's Decommissioning Task Force - that is, who will pay the cost of to state, 'One of the major problems is decommissioning nuclear power reac­ that nobody knows what the plant is like tors. anymore.' Meanwhile, some states have been tight­ Future cost increases in disposing ening their own regulations, while others of . the radioactive wastes are certain have elected to await forthcoming NRC to play an important part in the overall regulations on decommissioning. decommissioning costs. Those parts of Decommissioning Options the plant contaminated with the activa­ tion products should be classed as high According to the NRC Regulatory level waste and hence should require Guide, there are three acceptable me­ deep geological storage. The transporta­ thods for decommissioning:­ tion of radioactive wastes will also bring entombment, mothballing and dismantl­ entombment increased costs particularly when con­ ing. Before any of these operations can sidering the logistical problems of trans-

10 SCRAM Journal Apri1'85/May '85 porting the huge volumes of material Alternatively, utilities themselves should which will be produced. bear decommissioning costs in relation Finally, decommissioning demands to the amount of their plant's originally special financial planning. Its substantial expected operating lives which have not costs, the importance of equity among been realised (i.e., the earlier a plant consumers and the uncertain future shuts down, the greater should be the health of nuclear utilities make plant owner's share of decommissioning responsible planning necessary. Financing costs.) mechanisms must be judged on the basis Fourth, and perhaps most broadly of assurance of necessary funds, reaching, decommissioning will have a flexibility, equity and cost. significant effect on the economics of Conclusions nuclear power. Nuclear-generated elec­ tricity has typically been chosen over A number of closing observations other forms of electrical generation on spring forth from the foregoing:- the basis of a demonstrated 3 to 5 per First, the most overwhelm,ing charac­ cent economic advantage. These com­ missioning. The Nuclear lnstaUations teristic of decommissioning is its uncer­ parisons, however, generally have not Act (1969) states that a site licence may tainty. While it certainly promises to considered the costs of decommissioning be revoked at any time, so it is assumed be a major future concern, we know (nor of waste disposal, government sub­ that the site licence would remain in little about it. Decommissioning a large sidies and other 'hidden costs'). With the force until the Health and Safety Execu­ nuclear power plant would greatly help costs of decommissioning now being re­ tive agrees that no danger from ionising to combat this uncertainty, and there cognised as significant and potentially radiation exists on the site or any site exist a number of candidate plants: Ind­ overwhelming, nuclear economics could thereof. The transport and disposal of ian Point 1, Humboldt Bay and Dresden very well become self-condemning. With the wastes arising from decommissioning 1. One of these plants ought to be de­ investors as wary of nuclear power as are regulated by the Department of the Environment, the Ministry of Agricul­ commissioned to alleviate the uncertain­ they are today, one more added cost ture, Fisheries and Food, and the Inter­ ty underlying decommissioning. could have tremendous impact, particu­ national Atomic Energy Agency. Second, uncertainties concerning de­ larly on the 50-odd plants now under The process of decommissioning is commissioning exist outside of the en­ construct ion. aspects as well. A expected to comprise three stages: de­ The British Experience fuelling the reactor, transferring the mothbalti spent fuel to cooling ponds and Information relating to decommissioning transporting the said spent fuel to 'a re­ in this country is, like in the US, a little processing plant or other storage facility' thin on the ground, although A R (P211); dismantling the radioactive and Gregory's 'Proof of Evidence' to the Size­ non-radioactive plant and buildings ex­ well Inquiry (CEGB P211) and Or Lawton's ternal to the reactor biological shield 'Decommissioning of the Windscale AG R and transporting the waste off-site; and (WAGR)' (Atom, November 1982) demon­ dismantling and removal of the pressure strate how the subject has been vessel (with its internal structures and approached. biological shield) and the building itself, To date only small experimental re­ then removing them off-site. actors have been completely dismantled. Stage 1 is expected to take about hazy jurisdictional overlap of a number fhe DRAGON reactor at Winfrith and 5 years, stage 2 a further 5 years and of federal and state entities creates nu­ the materials test reactor at Dounreay stage 3 another 5 years after that. How­ merous grey spots which are likely to have been taken to the first stage of de­ ever there may have to be considerable continue for years while the issues are commissioning. According to a Parlia­ delays between the stages due to the worked out in court. mentary Answer in March 1983, 'No com­ activity of the plant. A delay of several Third, regarding decommissioning mercial scale nuclear power stations decades between stages 2 and 3 would financing, there seems to be an area of have yet reached the end of their useful bring appreciable radiological benefits, stockholder responsibility that has been lives', so the information in the papers although any longer than 100 years would largely overlooked. Instead of expect­ is educated guesswork. produce insignficant benefits. The costs ing consumers to bear the costs of these The CEGB policy is to clear a site of decommissioning a Magnox station contingency options, it seems reasonable of nuclear plant after the end of its use­ similar to Sizewell A have been to argue that the owners of a nuclear ful life, although it is their Intention to estimated at between £ 150m and £270m plant should bear responsibility for con­ retain the site as a centre of electricity (1982 prices) depending on timing, ac­ tingencies in decommissioning. Invest­ generation for long after the present cording to a study carried out by the ment, particularly in the nuclear indus­ stations have been closed down. There­ CEGB between 1979 and 1982. try, is inherently risky. The risks created fore obsolete reactors may remain on However, as Or Lawton pointed out by the uncertainties should not simply sites still in operational use. in his summary, 'Much of the work [on be thrust upon the consumer; affixed An engineering study is currently the WAGR) is of a development nature with such a .financial safety valve, nuc­ being formulated for dealing with a typ­ and its successful execution should help lear power is made to appear less risky ical Magnox station and the UKAEA has plan subsequent similar operations as than it really is. lt follows that the prepared a detailed step-by-step they become desirable or necessary in shareholders - cer·tainly in plants being programme for the WAGR decommis­ the 21st century,' so they are no closer planned or in early stages of construction sioning project, the main aim of which to finding the answer in this country than - ought to cover the costs· of contingen­ is to 'get information and not to recover they are in the US. A chilling possibility cies in decommissioning. usable space' (Atom). The UKAEA is de­ appears in P211 - 'Depending on particu­ Perhaps the plant owners themselves veloping the necessary equipment and lar circumstances... [a reactor may be ought to cover the costs of an insurance industrial firms will be invited to co­ left) under CEGB supervision for a longer option when it becomes available, since operate in the project. period of perhaps 100 years' - three the coverage represents in part the risks There are ho statutory regulations times longer than the CEGB's history of contingencies in decommissioning. in the UK specifically covering decom- to date! Steve Martin

SCRAM Journal Aprii'85/May '85 11 They're no Comin' & They're no Dumpin'

A Prototype and a Demonstration Fast Reactor, an experimental PWR, reprocessing employer? When it hosted the first dan­ and dumping of nuclear waste, shipments of plutonium waste by sea - this is a list gerous experiment in the fifties, of activities brought to the North of Scotland by the U.K. Atomic Energy Authority economic blackmail was paramount, and (UKAEA) and the Ministry of Defence in the last thirty years. In 1977 the SSEB ar­ the same applies today. However, this rived in Orkney to mine uranium. There followed a two year fight to stop them doing time there is hope. Orkney and Shetland so, and this ended with an ambiguous shelving of their plan by Mr Younger. Frances are planning right now for the end of McK ie of the Dunters. the Orkney environmental group, here outlines the next plans the oil industry's contribution to their of the nuclear industry for this part of the country. economies. Coincidentally, this is pro­ jected for roughly the same time that At Christmas 1983, Alex Copson of The Stormy Bank Group was set up present activities at Dounreay will run ENSEC Ltd announced he had plans to at the beginning of February. Within the down. On that basis, it was decided to store nuclear waste in the sea-bed. The group are representatives of all the ma­ cross the Firth to ask the Caithnessians site he had chosen was Stormy Bank, 1S jor Orkney industries, dominated by tour­ to join Orkney and Shetland in planning miles west of Orkney. Newspaper reports ism, farming, fishing and the new inves­ for 1S years hence - independent of oil, carried illustrations of his plans which tors - shellfish farmers. and the nuclear industry. involved a redundant oil rig and a con­ Others have jumped on the crete walled shaft 3,000 ft deep into the bandwagon, however, and even bigger Confrontation Meeting sea-bed. Mr Copson claimed to have interests think that profits can be made A meeting was held in Thurso on 18th great expertise in the oil business which out of ENSEC's idea. NIREX has com­ February this year. To break the ice for he would apply to what he thinks is rela­ missioned a feasibility study and we us, Michael Burke came up to introduce tively harmless nuclear waste. ENSEC await the outcome with great interest. turned out to be a very new company his film Windscale Nuclear Laundry. With him came Pete Wilkinson from Green­ closely related to Cluff Oil. Sir Algy Future Plans peace and Jean Emery from C.O.R.E. Cluff is better known for his financial (Cumbrians Opposed to a Radioactive activities in the City of London than for Meanwhile the Director of Dounreay, Environment). They faced a very noisy any technical expertise in the oil Mr Blumfield, has been hinting that the but interesting audience. Over 100 industry. In any case, private enterprise commercial Fast Reactor which Britain turned up and some had to be turned was now launching itself into the busi­ is to build as part of the European Fast away. Five or six scientific officers, in­ ness of nuclear waste disposal. Reactor Programme, will not come to cluding Assistant Director Pugh and Mr Throughout 1984, the media carried Dounreay. He seems to be preparing his G. Tyler, heckled loudly and various interviews with Mr Copson in workforce and the community for the aggressively. At one point the meeting which he frequently compared nuclear prospect of another Windscale instead. was interrupted by the spectacular en­ waste disposal to the oil industry. He Since it makes no sense to have a major trance of the Dounreay Medical Officer, mentioned the prospect of extra jobs generating station hundreds of miles and investment for Orkney, and referred from major consumers, Dounreay looks Or Ted Smith, who immediately poured to how the islands had adapted to the like getting what no-one else could pos­ scorn on the Black Report, commissioned oil industry, and would likewise accept sibly want - a new Windscale to repro­ as a result of the film. Throughout the heckling, Mike, Pete and Jean presented nuclear waste. Although he constantly cess plutonium from all three commerc­ clear unassailable facts about the dam­ promised to come north to explain his ial Fast Reactors. age the nuclear industry has done, how plans, he has yet to arrive. This probably Needless to say the prospect of more the rest of the world is more alert to explains his ignorance of these islands plutonium nitrate shipments plying in the dangers, and how alternatives exist. and the fundamental errors he has made. and out of the notorious Pentland Firth and mingling with cumbersome oil tank­ Pete in particular emphasised how C aith­ Past Experiences ers is viewed with great concern. The ness and Orkney seemed to be attracting plant itself would flout the recommend­ numerous undesirable schemes from a The SSEB taught Orcadians all they a.tions of a Convention of Nuclear Sci­ beleagured nuclear industry. Perhaps needed to know about the nuclear entists in Germany, which claimed the a repeat of the Highland Clearances is industry. Throughout all the proposals, technology did not exist to reprocess the objective? denials, assertions and withdrawals be­ plutonium with safety. In any case, Wind­ Once the meeting was over and the tween 1977 and 1980, the catch-phrase scale and La Hague are enough for most hecklers left, other members of the audi­ within the community was, 'They're no' people. ence talked to us. Those that did, gave comin' and they're no' diggin'.' That a clear indication that they are very phrase has been re-adopted forthwith Economic Blackmail worried about the booby prize Mr Slum­ on the grounds that a flat 'No', backed field has planned for them. with a promise of action, if necessary, But Caithness Is in a terrible position. The Dunters have promised Caithness worked once before, and will probably In the middle of an economic recession, that they will go back regularly from work again, along with the same Silent how can you ask such a vulnerable com­ now on to help them voice their concern Protest Marches. munity to .abandon its one major and perhaps plan a much safer future.

12 SCRAM Journal April '85/May '85 Radwaste -The Need for Debate

At present it is impossible to write a Britain. Its main conclusions were as fits in more readily with discussion of round-up of the nuclear waste scene follows: the ENSEC proposal which I shall come which will not be out of date by the time 1 Century-long storage of HLW is es­ to next time. it is printed. Important material pcKrS sential. 'Take Time• More Responsible in as never before. So I have asked 2 That although the Committee (by SCRAM to let me have a Waste Column implication rather than outright state­ Now for some details, for which quo­ for the next three issues at least, in ment) does not exclude as an ultimate tations are useful. These have been takeo which I will do my best to update our possibility that geological disposal might from the Atom r~port referred to partly movement, concentrating on scientific be acceptable, it points out, repeatedly because of its relative accessibility and issues which underlie campaigning rather and in almost every relevant technical partly because the quotations are ref­ than on the campaigns themselves. Hea­ mattter, that existing knowledge is sadly erenced at the end of that article. ven knows, . there are enough of them inadequate and that far more intensive On interim storage the figure of 100 which demand attention: the ICSU Re­ and long-term research would be needed years is clearly regarded as a minimum. port with which I start; ENSEC; Canons­ before any such decision could be justi­ • • • after emplacement of waste, burg: new material produced by NERC fied. (Which broadly is what we all said. thermal stresses may build up for on geomicrobiology: and much else. I Think back to Heseltine in 1979: a de­ a long period of time••• •Such prob­ shall try to look at all of it and hope that cade of research, a demonstration repos­ lems are not yet well quantified. It the results will stay up to date as source itory in the 90's - and thank God for the is certain · that these effects would material for some time. pressure groups.) be reduced if interim storage was lt is important to state the reason lengthened, while any influence of for this approach at the outset. lt is that radiation on containers and backfill the only systematic sound thinking, both as well as danger to workers would social and scientific, has been done, not all be reduced. • • • The ICSU group by the Government, but by the pressure­ considered that interim storage groups. Their approach is the only one' should be for the longest acceptable which could ultimately lead to socially period because technology for final acceptable solutions. Despite being 3 The Committee does not try to dodge disposal, whether terrestial or on the clean-bowled over High Level Waste the Achilles' Heel of the whole concept. seabed, is not yet established. The (HLW) in Galloway, Cheviots and Wales; Since HLW wastes are dangerous for 'take-time' or 'waiting' option might held up to. international abuse by Green­ thousands of years, all demonstrations be more responsible than a bestguess peace over Windscale; and thrashed at of adequacy 'must rely on indirect sci­ quick alternative. Billingham the Government realises no­ entific arguments and predictions.' That Directly observable. and monitored, thing of the above. But it is much more too we said, or rather, Professor lvan long-term interim storage (over 100 important that ·we realise it. Our suc­ Tolstoy did. Geology is not a predictive years) was the Committee's conclusion. cess, and the mounting public support science. There is an implication in the Well, Pandora's solution was to store which we·have, is founded in an unremit­ Report that it could become sufficiently until the short-lived heat-:9enerating ting attention to scientific and social predictive - but only given much more component had gone; that is, for 5-600 facts down the years of our campaigning. fundamental work covering far longer years. There seems no reason to revise If we keep up that sound approach there timescales than so far envisaged, They it; it should give time for lots of is nothing in the nuclear waste field point out, indeed, that never before have research. The following are further which we cannot win. Acceptable solu­ scientists had to find answers to disposal points in the Committee's Atom paper. tions to the backlog problem; an end to problems covering so vast a timescale. * There is no dot~bt that there is no waste transportation, to reprocessing They say, of course, that there are single ideal host for radwaste disposal and eventually to Windscale itself - we heavy metal poisons with infinite life­ • • .rocks formed at high temperatures can win them all if we go on as we have: times - but it is fair comment to point may tend to suffer the greatest change peg away at the data; found public sup­ out that the analogy is faulty. The poi­ in properties by the motion of low temp­ port on sound policies - and don't get sonous hazard of mercury, for instance, erature fluids. (Granite might be the tired! is totally confined to where it happens worst choice.) Evidence of how right we were over. to be, whereas thermal heat and radia­ * Appropriate mining technology for the HLW borehole proposal, how right tion from HLW can have corrosive ef­ depths up to 4km exists, and the 500 to we should be to combat any attempted fects which penetrate outside on con­ 1000 metre depths commonly considered recurrence, comes from a standing com­ tainment and on backfill; and in both adequate require careful justification. mittee of the International Council of instances with effects exacerbated by lt comes to this: that, during the very Scientific Unions (ICSU). Since 1978, moisture. period when we were campaigning the the ICSU has studied the geology of HLW ICSU Committee, with more time and disposal in deep rock formations on land resources and greater expertise, was and at sea. Reviews of the ·report are reaching pretty much the same conclu­ to be found in the Guardian (6.9.84), in sions as we did. That ought to kill stone­ Nature (Vol 310 p537) and in the UKAEA dead any idea of depositing HLW in geo­ house journal Atom (December 1984 p4). logicaJ formations anywhere during our lifetimes. But we must recall the One or both of the last two should be 4 As a consequence of this view the read by serious campaigners. The fol- Report asserts that too much time has unhappy Tom King, scuttling out from towing summary cannot be a substitute. under in December 1981 and telling us been spent on laboratory and desk studies that the Government considered the idea More Research Required and far too little on field studies. established in principle - with virtually 5 They conclude that insufficient at­ no field research at all. So they could The ICSU committee included repre- tention has been given to deposition be­ try again. Maybe it would be fun if they sentatives from Canada, France, Czech- low the sea-bed. I shall not deal here did! oslovakia, USA, Japan, South Africa and with this section of the Report since it Don Arnott SCRAM Journal Aprii'85/May '85 13 were expected to reach 210bnF by the end of 1984, an increase of 110% since Nucleaire ~ Non Merci 1980. More than half of the utility's bor­ rowing is for the nuclear programme and With the Sizewell Inquiry finally over, and the Inspector now having to wade through it recently raised $300m on the inter­ two years worth of evidence, we must wait to discover the future of Britain's nuc­ national bond market to refinance its lear power programme. The following article may give Sir Frank Layfield some food 70bnF foreign debt. Therefore the stra­ for thought. lt describes the economic disaster which is the French nuclear tegic goal of economic independence programme. Miri·am Boyle and Mike Robinson clearly show that the state-controlled has not been achieved because savings nuclear industry is having a serious effect on the economy of the country when it on imported oil and coal have been can­ was supposed to bring about economic independence. The depression of the·private celled out by the cost of expensive for­ US nuclear industry should have shown our Government the folly of nuclear expan­ eign currency. The implications for the sion. Perhaps the French industry, more akin to ow own,. will eventually make them national economy remain the same see the light... perhaps. whether the country is buying overseas oil or overseas currency. Investment decisions made since the moting electricity in the domestic mar­ 70's oil crises have been excessively ket - France is the only country in Eur­ Carrots and Sticks overambitious and the French now have ope still to actively promote electric an embarrassing surplus of electricity central heating - which contributed to Despite the financial problems the nuclear industry is able to continue more generating capacity. Rather than sus­ a 51% rise in electricity consumption taining the French economy, nuclear between 1973 and 1981. This is because or less unchallenged, partly reflecting power is becoming a burden, hindering France has decided to go beyond 'nuclear the demoralised anti-nuclear movement's industrial progress by absorbing so much substitution' (replacing coal or oil with failure to exert significant influence on investment and adversely affecting the nuclear power) to encouraging 'nuclear decision making. However, it also reflects the success of EdF's campaign country's balanc~ • payments. electrification' - replacing other fuels Despite the all-pervading secrecy with nuclear electricity. This aggressive to offer attractive inducements to host communities:- cheaper electricity, im­ in all things nuclear, recent independent policy has been responsible for a big in­ provements in local business and analyses have all presented a gloomy crease in the ownership of electrical ap­ employment opportunities, and substant­ picture. Technical problems and the in­ pliance.s, with a 133% rise in domestic troduction of new safety systems have electricity usage since 1973 and a dom­ ial contributions to local revenues through special taxes. increased costs; investment costs will estic price increase of between 27% ana escalate as future sites will require ex­ 40% over 1983. Another factor in the nuclear pro­ pensive adaptations; and Framatome will gramme's unchallenged expansion is the be increasing costs due to the reduc­ Enormous Debts virtual absence of consultation proced­ tion of orders from the six plants per As a result of the unrealistic assump­ ures. Proposals are made available, giv­ year capacity to only one or two per year tion that electricity consumption would ing the public six weeks in which to reg­ from the late 1980's which will seriously double every ten years there is now a ister objections which are noted by the affect their 'economies of scale.' The large excess of installed generating cap­ Government in assessing compensation claims. EdF is able to continue its pre­ bankruptcy of the parent company, acity which ~n only get larger, thereby Creusot-Loire, will put further financial reducing efficiency and increasing costs. parations throughout, confident of a fav­ strain on Framatome, although the most The premature shutdown of 2,800Mw ourable decision. Not surprisingly, frust­ likely buyers are the state-owned com­ of conventional capacity is one way of ration has led local populations to violent panies Compagnie Generale reducing the overcapacity, exporting dissent, as in the notable case of Plogoff Electromechanique (CGE) and Alsthom­ surplus electricity is another. Contracts in 1980. Atlantique, which will lead to further signed or under negotiation with several Beyond this, there are institutional state control. European grids will increase these ex­ and political reasons for the unrelenting expansion. All major parties support the Planned Expansion ports from the 1983 level of 13.5 billion Kwh to 20 billion Kwh in the near future. industry because of military consider­ By 1990 French generating capacity These factors have had a serious ef­ ations; state loans have become grants; is projected to include 34 PWR's of 900 fect on EdF's finances. The company is accounting systems have disguised losses; Mw, 18 PWR's of 1300Mw and the the most important borrower on the US and the similar educational background 1200Mw prototype commercial fast re­ money market and the third in interna­ of industrial management and senior civil servants ensures a unified actor, as well as five older gas-cooled tional markets. This has become worse reactors. This will mean that 70% of with the US dollar's strength. EdF's debts decision-making apparatus. French electricity and 3096 of total en­ The nuclear industry symbolises the ergy output will be provided by nuclear greatness of France, its patriotism and power. (In 1984 these figures were 48% its political, economic and military in­ and 17%.) Although official figures claim dependence and security. However, the that nuclear electricity costs half that unhindered expansion threatens other from coal and a third that from oil, they less prestigious energy sectors and casts rarely mention that electricity is much a long shadow over the French economy more expensive than the direct use of as a whole. coal, gas or oil. In 1983 French industry Sources was charged twice as much for electricty 'le Nuc:leaire Pervers' by 0. Chemiot (1914) Alternatives as for coal and gas, and half as much Economlqueo March 22-l Electricity Coolo In France by H Oamveld (1984) again as for oil. Frustrated by industry's W.I.S.E. Amsterdam reluctance to buy electricity, EdF has 'Creusot-Loire et le Mal Francais'. L'E'.rpress.ll1- • by Y Cuihannec and A Rebattet (1,.4) been promoting electricity for industry '10 Ans de Programme Nucleaire: EDF devient with some vigour, spending 400mF in un fardeau pour la France' by Y Lenoir and J P 1983 and a huge 1000mF in 1984. Even Orfeuil,(l91•l Science et VIe 19', 2•-n and 164- ... 170 so, industrial demand is static at best M u,..nlu"ft mining and milll"9 'A Study of Nude.,. Power in France• by Colin and probably in slight decline. ~ ~;::::::~::." 1 Sweet (1981) Energy Paper 2. Oept of Social Sciences, F Fuel r.-lullon Polytechnic of the South Bank~ London EdF has also been deliberately pro- C R•IC:tor conslrUElectricity generation for the Nation­ and weather resistance). The machine al Crld, or for remote communities, has has won design and conservation awards received the most Interest. The aerogen­ and is credited with a more continuous erators or WECS (Wind Energy Conver­ performance than the WEC machine, sion Systems) are specialised refine­ The £10 million cost of the 3Mw ma­ ments of the old corn grinding windmills. chine has attracted criticism from the At ·present the majority of aerogener­ 'Small is Better!· school of thought, as ators have slender two or three blade well as the anti-wind lobby. The smaller rotors, coupled through a gearbox to a machines, by virtue of the higher volume generator, mounted on top of a steel production, presently offer lower costs, tower. There are brakes and a 'yawing' but as production of the larger machines mechanism to ensure the apparatus al­ increases, and greater experience Is ways faces into the wind. ·- gained, costs should fall in future. (The The designers' biggest problem is to WEC claim that production models of ensure that the apparatus can survive Wind Energy their machine will sell for £4m.) The the worst anticipated wind forces, whilst North of Scotland Hydro Electric Board, maximising power extraction across a the operators, are happy with the per­ wide and fluctuating range of wind Aero"~rora~ors on Rurgar Kill, Orkno) formance of their Burgar Hill machines, l'orep·oun0kW 011d speeds. Most machines incorporate a ll.ick~trounout noise and televi­ accumulating operating experience and By contrast, little is happening in sion Interference - both problems can subsequent design Improvements. The the UK. Less than 20 WECS - are usually be alleviated.

SCRAM Journal April '15/May '85 15 IAI CHP

The long-awaited decision on government ism', adding, 'lt is quite clear that if we The Third World is benefitting from a funding for combined heat and power had more Tory marginal seats in the new design of wind-pump which recent­ (CHP) schemes in three cities has finally North-East then we would have bene­ ly won an award for its high performance been made. (Just as we were going to fitted from Peter Walker's money.' and structural design. print with the last journal.) Leicester is the cheapest of the nine pos­ The pump provides water for irriga­ Edinburgh, Belfast and Leicester will sibilities and the government will not tion, cattle or village supplies and appar­ each receive £250,000 to spend on pre­ be giving £250,000 to a Local Authority ently lasts five times as long as a diesel paring a feasibility study over the next which is due to be abolished under forth­ pump. Even with substantial research three years. The three were chosen by coming legislation! on stress and aerodynamics with new Energy Minister Peter Walker out of the materials, the machine will cost less original nine 'lead cities' proposed. lt's Refuse complications than half that of a diesel machine, and a pity that the government hasn't got is already being used in many African the foresight to continue the study in The proposed abolition of metropol­ and Asian countries. all nine cities. Nevertheless, some of itan county councils could put many CH P New Scientist 7.2.85 the projects not funded may go ahead initiatives in jeopardy, particularly regardless. where the use of refuse to fuel the CH P One city was chosen from Northern station is considered. This could drastic­ Ireland, Scotland and England. Belfast ally affect the GLC's existing waste in­ has no competition or cheap gas sup­ cineration plants, which raised £4m in plies, so it was a certainty. Edinburgh revenue last year, and could cut future seemed more likely than Glasgow plans to develop CHP on a wider scale because the Council, backed by a private in London Boroughs. Anger has been elt'" consortia, was committed to the scheme, pressed in Tyneside, where they are go­ whereas Glasgow District Council ing ahead with CH P without government ERA-Technology, a research organisa­ refused to take part because the govern­ funding, because the break-up of the tion, is trying to speed up the testing ment demanded private investment as council into districts will seriously com­ process for wind machines. Power per­ a condition. However, a stink has been plicate the efficient co-ordination of formance curves are gathered over a raised by the decision to choose collecting and burning the waste. period of a few months, studying the po­ Leicester when cities like Sheffield and Despite all the government restric­ wer output relative to changes in wind Newcastle-upon-Tyne have excellent tions, Sheffield has plans to develop C HP speed and direction. This shows how ef­ cases for and positive commitment to on its own, using a £300,000 grant from fective it will be on a particular site. CHP. the EEC to help their new-technology Currently samples are taken of 10 Political move? approach of using a power station where minutes under various conditions. ERA coal is gasified and burnt with both a say they can cut this to 1 minute tests George Gill, Chairperson of the Tyne­ conventional and a gas turbine. without losing accuracy, thereby cutting side authority CHP group has attacked Electrical Review 15.2.85 the testing process to a matter of weeks. the government for 'political opportun- New Technology 11.2.85 Electrical Review 8.2.85

A new garden city in Milton Keynes hopefully to the standards of Scandinav­ over the whole development with regards based on community ownership, embody­ ian houses which stay warm and c()mfor­ to planning permission. The section 7 ing many principles of the green and AT table largely on internal gains from body (1) of the New Towns Act may be movement, looks set to go ahead. heat, plus solar gains from well designed amended because the Greentown group The 'Greentown Group' who have windows. Eventually, the village aims and the Borough council are concerned planned the development in consultation to treat its own sewage (with methane at the MKDC's increasing vagueness over with the Milton Keynes Development as a product) and generate most of its its commitment to the project. Five corporation (MKDC), the Borough Coun­ •energy from renewable sources, such years ago the MKDC saw the application cil, the County council and public utili­ as solar, wind and biomass. A commun­ as unique but now they treat them like ties aim to ensure that the residents plan ity re-use and recycling system is 'any other developer'. This may not af­ the village themselves and that all deci­ planned for domestic use. fect the project as a whole, but it may sions affecting the community be made be delayed for up to a year or more. democratically. All contributions or i­ EEC Help By around 1990, if planning permis­ deas on the design of the village are ta­ sion is given, Greentown village will be ken seriously and discussed. The EEC has recently granted up to complete. 500 people, their homes, pub­ Greentown will be designed and run £214,000 to cover 40% of the cost of lic buildings, children's playpens, work­ on ecologically sound lines, and aims to a solar/wind electricity system for the shops, public open space, woodland, gar­ be appropriate to a future of changing first cluster of houses to be built. How­ dens and orchards will occupy the 15 technology combined with diminishing ever, more money is needed before the hectare site. natural resources. The buildings will be project can go ahead. Look out for more info and article very well insulated and weather-proof, Unfortunately, a shadow now hangs in next Journal.

16 SCRAM Journal Aprii'85/May 185 1Airborn Sola All

The Scottish Development Agency (SDA) David Baker, the SDA's project of­ The Department of Trade and Industry has launched a campaign to Increase ficer said, 'There can be no doubt that has cut its funding for the Solar Energy Scotland's energy efficiency, monitoring a lot of energy and therefore money is Information Office at Cardiff Univer­ heat loss from industrial, commercial being wasted at present through heat sity, forcing its closure. This is yet an­ and domestic buildings by taking loss from buildings. Savings of up to 20°6 other example of governmer.t commit­ infra-red photographs from an aeroplane. are within the reach of most people who ment to renewables. The college cannot are prepared to do something about the afford the £30,000 needed to keep the Thermography is not new, but this problem.' office open. The brief of the office, set survey, covering all population and in­ up in' 1976, was to persuade companies dustrial concentration in Central Scot­ and organisations (anyone who enquired land from Ayr to Dundee, exceeds by about it) to use solar energy equipment far anything ever attempted before. and to encourage British industry to en­ At an estimated cost of £100,000, ter the international market for solar the plane will fly for 14 nights at an av­ energy supplies. erage height of 1,500 feet, resulting in H & V News 2.2.85 50 square metres of black and white pho­ tographs. White patches on the photos 1Coal indicate heat loss, with an accuracy of ICI is doing its bit for the coal industry. 0.2°C differences to small areas to 2 The chemical giant proposed a oroject 0.8m • The plane is now in the air, but to convert two of the five boilers at only just. Half the funding was scraped their Wilton site power station on together from private companies and Teeside. Now the strike is over the con­ local authorities before the project could version will go ahead at a cost of f.43m start. £250 will be the cheapest photo­ ' ' of which the government coal-conversion graph available (of 2.5 acres) going to Start of a campaign grant will cover f.4m and the regional the thousands for large areas. These aid grant another £7m. The conversion sums, although not too much for com­ The survey is apparently the start will raise ICI's coal burn to one million panies, certainly won't strike an enthus­ of a general campaign by the SDA to tonnes per year. iastic chord in local authority budgets combat energy bills. Let's hope they (ICI owns the anhydrite mine which or local insulation schemes, which would mean it and try to widen their scope by NI REX was considering using for the be benefitted most. lt's pathetic that taking their results and ideas into action Billingham nuclear waste dump. initiatives like this one are put under in local communities, perhaps by exhibi­ Following mass local opposition the such financial pressure, especially when tions, talks, advertising, etc., or will company refused to play ball with you consider that the Scottish Energy so-called economic considerations choke NIREX! ). bill in 1982 was £2.5 billion, of which them too, as they do with most altern­ New Technology 18. 3. 85 £850 million was for industrial use and atives to the uneconomic but politic­ £650 million for domestic use. ally agreeable nuclear programme. 1Saving David Hunt, the Energy efficiency Mini­ ster addressing Yorkshire busine9S people recently said, 'One extraordinary fact we have discovered by careful research is that industry could invest £300m in a range of energy saving schemes, where the return in energy savings would be more than £300m a year. There are not many investments available today with a 1009-,. return and the return

lt is outrageous that with the current In the 'Scottish Commentary on the draughtproofing schemes and groups such concern over the growing number of Public expenditure Paper 1986/87' the as Neighbourhood Energy Action that deaths in Scotland from hypothermia Government claim that the introduction the uptake of grants is gradually nsing. and cold-related diseases, the Govern­ of a top-up grant in 1984 will increase ment should cut £700,000 from the Home the take-up of the Homes Insulation No help for the poor Insulation Scheme for 1985/86. Scheme. Top-up grants provide for pre As usual, the poor are hit the hardest. Grants are available for insulation 1976 dwellings which have inadequate The imposition of VAT on insulation ma­ of 90% up to £95 for the elderly and dis­ loft insulation. This is a good measure terials and difficulty in finding the ne­ abled. Everyone else receives 66% up as far as it goes, but it is due to the ef­ cessary capital makes insulation a luxury to £69. The cuts will mean less money forts of in.sulation projects, many cannot afford. When old and less available, although the government justi­ well off members of our society are dy­ fies it on the grounds that the allocation ing and ill through inadequate insulation, was underspent every year. They seem the government should have no choice happy with the low uptake of available but to retract this measure and not only grants because it's saving them money, increase grants but make them available instead of trying to expand public aware­ for all energy efficiency measures. ness of energy efficiency. What about funding local insulation schemes or mak­ Contact: Scottish Fuel Poverty Action ing the grants 100%? People's lives are Group, 18/19 C laremont Crescent, at risk! Edinburgh EH7 4QD.

SCRAM Journal April '85/May '85 17 I Reviews

The British Nuclear Deterrent by Peter· is coloured by L . 'personal view that Malone (Croom Helm, £16.95, 200pp), the case for operationally independent Trident. Britain's Independent Arms Race British forces has never been stronger by Malcolm Chalmers (CND £1.95, 88pp) than it is today.' The two books arrive at such opposite These two books, covering roughly the conclusions - one very much for, the same ground, highlight the subjective other totally against Trident - using ba­ nature of the nuclear weapons debate. sically the same information. sources. Both deal primarily with the matter of This is because objective 'facts' and cer­ Polaris replacement, though they differ tainties are hard to come by in the world considerably in style and scope. of strategic nuclear deterrence. Also, Chalmers' book, written for CND, is neither author is quite comprehensive most obviously a campaigning tool for in his coverage of the issues, and so can those who oppose the British decision avoid awkward arguments. to purchase Trident, and provides a fairly In particular, Malone concentrates exhaustive compendium of all Trident's on the need (in his view) to pose an un­ demerits. Malone's book has a more aca­ acceptable threat of destruction to the rely on the kind of nuclear strategy gib­ demic style (and a price which should Soviet Union in a technologically con­ berish which has resulted from 'thinking restrict it mainly to libraries), and gives vincing manner. He does not, however, about the unthinkable.' For example, Ma­ much more attention to the historical confront the question of when it could lone argues that Trident's multiple war­ development of the British nuclear de­ ever be advantageous for Britain to en­ heads (M I RVs) would allow 'low-cost terrent up to and including Trident. gage in nuclear war with the Soviet Un­ counterforce targetting options' and so Nevertheless, his academic neutrality ion. Instead, he tends occasionally to 'enhance the credibility of Britain's im­ plied threat to respond to selective So­ viet strikes with strategic forces.' Quite, but Malone does not explain how a small, densely-populated nation like Britain could benefit from such a course of ac­ tion against the immense nuclear arsenal of the Soviet Union. As Chalmers notes, these kinds of arguments 'are dangerous madness. They assume that a nuclear war can be kept limited even when dozens, perhaps hundreds of nuclear On the Perimeter by Caroline Blackwood hotel, and presents us with snippets of weapons are landing on Soviet territory. (Heinemann £5.95 Flamingo £1.95 112pp) her conversations with them. Her at­ They assume that leaders who had de­ tempts at impartiality fail though, be­ monstrated themselves foolhardy enough Carollne Blackwood, a respectable lady cause merely by setting down the views to start a nuclear war would then have and respected novelist, was asked last of the 'other side' - for example that the the sense to cease fighting after millions year to write an article for a magazine Creenham women are responsible for had been killed (as even a 'limited' war on the defeat of the British women's contaminating the swimmimg pool or would imply).' Chalmers roundly, and Peace Movement. So she went - scepti­ frightening rare birds away from the rightly, dismisses the notion that it could cal, afraid and prepared with prejudices base - she exposes the ridiculousness of ever be advantageous for Britain to - to Creenham Common. This book is their arguments and the sad pettiness launch its nuclear weapons against the her account; it's also a tribute to the of their lives, beside which the courage Soviet Union, either in retaliation or in Creenham women who, she came to real­ and honesty and love of the peace women an attempt to avert conventional de­ ise, have not been and cannot be stand out. As one Newbury man realises, feat. defeated. 'we are all bloody jealous of them. In Fair enough, but many (including the lt's written in a rather simplistic, our hearts we know we haven't got the Government) might argue that Britain's pseudo-intrepid-reporter style, which guts to do what the women are doing.' strategic nuclear force is a deterrent can be irritating and patronizing to the To women who've been at the camp whose very existence is intended to pre­ women, though this is balanced by her this book may seem superficial,even vent such unhappy circumstances. If it obvious respect for what they're doing. naive. Yet it's an important, useful book ever has to be used then it has failed. She's more at ease describing the New­ which needed to be written. lt's a book Simply to demonstrate, as Chalmers ade­ bury residents, maybe because she's a about Creenham for people who've never quately does, the futility of using the novelist and these incredible people are been there, for the people who say, 'Well, deterrent does not totally invalidate the like characters from a book. Dickens I see what they're trying to do, but ••• ' proposition that it may serve some useful might have invented the odious Mr or who half believe all the media stories purpose in deterring aggression during Learoy of RACE (Ratepayers Against about sex-starved Russian spies and mal­ peacetime. Although the threatened use Creenham Encampment) who, if his love­ treated children. lt goes beyond the ster­ of nuclear weapons by Britain against ly daughters misbehave, threatens to eotypes and explai.ns to anyone who w­ the Soviet Union is clearly incredi!lle, send them off to the peace camp; or the ants to know what Creenham Common it is still an awful possibility which the appropriately named Mrs Scull, looking is about. Hopefully the combination of Soviet Union cannot totally ignore. As out of her bedroom window at the missile well-known novelist and mainstream pub­ such, the possession of nuclear weapons base and lamenting how pretty her view lisher will help to make this book as wid­ by Britain might, in some circumstances, had been before the women set up camp ely read as it should be. lt's a book to be an inhibiting factor on another there. Being far removed from the give to your mum or your next door neig­ nation's behaviour. Creenham woman stereotype, Caroline hbour, a book which will maybe make Nevertheless, the argument for Bri­ Blackwood was able to mingle innocently them curious and interested enough to tain retaining its own nuclear weapons, with the Newbury residents in the local go and see for themselves. and for updating with Trident, are not Elizabeth Burns 18 SCRAM Journal April '85/May '85 Reviews I

The Warning by Mike Gray and lra Rosen lations and humankind's place in the uni­ (Norton, £14.95, 287pp) verse. The Warning had me taken up by a subject which blocks my mind as a rule 'I love that plant,' said Jack Lemmon - the workings of a Pressurised Water in The China Syndrome, and the audience Reactor, both normally and in a disaster. scoffed and sniggered. But it was a true Reactors built by the same company dif­ and appropriate line - as true as the ly­ fer quite markedly from site to site. ing Public Relations man and the checks Babcock & Wilcox, in this case, supplied on design which had been skimped to the reactor, but its structures, control save money. The Warning shows the men room, turbines and generators came from who worked at Three Mile Island as not somewhere else. Another contract, the loving the plant, but certainly conscien­ architect-engineer, puts it together. So tiously attending to it in the confusion Unit One, Three Mile Island has a good of flashing lights in the poorly designed record. 'But the operators who work both control room with the computer sending plant!. all agree that Unit Two is a dog.' out data an hour old and then rows of A dog that barked in the night, the question marks. Some risked their lives very convincing. Although British nuclear authors conclude, but which has been in checking out radiation levels; no-one forces might, by their very existence, ignored. deserted thirty minutes from meltdown. Whittled down from 50,000 pages of inhibit potential aggressors' behaviour, The Warning tells of these events evidence from the inquiry after the acci­ there are no plausible circumstances in in the style of a th~:iller, with the sus­ dent, and from tapes, engineering data which this would add to the level of de­ pense and action you expect from the and interviews, this book was published terrence already created by the super­ genre, and with no soap opera distrac­ in 1982. I had not heard of it before, powers' arsenals. C Iearly, if the Soviet but one of our readers asked us to review leaders were so desperate as to risk ag­ tions which are often put in to popularise it, since it has received little notice in gression in the face of the American stories about political and technological happenings (e.g. in The Day After.) A this country. lt certainly deserves sales, nuclear forces, they would hardly then thriller may be the best way to deal with though the price is a bit daunting. Per­ be put off by the relatively small British such an event, for thrillers deal with haps your library could order it. But for force. technology, with big business, with the what department? lt is as scrupulously In summary, Malone's book sets out hidden worlds of high finance and ad­ factual as a Court report, but reads like a concise and well-written argument for a thriller, and is much more scarey, since the establishment view that the deter­ ministrative politics - the bits that the literary novel misses out, yet which may it actually happened. rent should be updated with Trident. His affect your life as much as personal re- R M Bell logic is consistent and would probab­ ly be convincing if one believed that nuc­ lear war-fighting was a sensible option for Britain. Chalmers argues that it is not, but he could have looked more deep­ ly at the question of what nuclear de­ terrence is, if anything. Anyone who wishes to obtain a reasonably complet~ understanding of the Trident debate should read both books, although no-one could recommend actually buying Ma­ lone's at its present price of E16.95 for only 200 pages. Graham Spinardi

The Making of the Atomic Age by Alwyn necessary for a bomb. This time schedule ialist of scientists. (Just as ecologists, Mckay (Oxford University Press, £3.95, was often bettered. So Or McKay says in dealing with the material effects of 153pp) about Compton, who was put in charge industry and technology on the earth and of the entire plutonium programme, 'He human beings are accused of being the No-one who reads about the atomic age described the task as "a heroic act of most mystical of politicos.) So he says can miss feeling the excitement of those faith." Faith was something he under­ at the end of the book, when the writer's early physicists in the twenties and thir­ stood from his deeply Christian family true self tends to emerge, 'The extrac­ ties when discovery followed on background.' tion of energy from uranium seems in­ discovery. This was the new heaven, and Such dedication and excitement was deed to have become possible just in then the old earth reasserted itself. An captured by Robert Jungk in Brighter time, when a new source is needed. To abstruse science studied by 100 clever than a 1000 Suns. Someone I lent that some, including the author, this is evi­ brains was taken over by industry and book to said it was good, but that there dence of God's provision for humanity.' the military for the giant Manhattan should have been an account of the ac­ And if God hadn't wanted bombs with Project. This in itself was a great tual discoveries of the scientists and the megaton heads, he wouldn't have created achievement, an enormous enterprise techniques used. This book fills in that hydrogen. Nuclear physics, however, does based on an idea. Plutonium had not yet gap, using clear and simple language, fall into that kind of language. lt's an been isolated, nor had uranium been making a good introduction to a hard epic subject, the progress from the new brought to critical mass. A time sche­ subject. But Or McKay is a physicist, universe to leukaemia on Windscale's dule was fixed for those processes, and and physicists, through dealing most beaches, a thing unachieved yet in prose uranium enrichment and all the steps closely with matter, are the least mater- and rhyme. R M Bell SCRAM Journal Aprii'85/May '85 19 • Diary April 1 Annual Vigil by Peace Tax Campaign. Technology, M achynlleth, Wales. Tel: Swedish idea for all countries. UK To mark the start of the new tax year. 0654 2400 contact is Gloria Fr ankel 01 980 1030 Contac t: PTC, 26 Thurlow Rd, Leicest er, 27 29 Conference by C ANUC 20 -23 'The Fourth Assembly' Theme - LE2 lYE (tel: 0533- 702687). (Campaign Against Namimbian Uranium Community Empowerment. ('The 1- 4 'War, Violence and Social Change' Contracts) to Educate and Plan "Fourth World" is the world of Human Conference of the British Sociological Activities. Contact CANUC's London Scale.') The Ghandi Peace Foundation, Association. Contact BSA, 10 Portugal office (01 267 1941 / 2). Venue to be in 221 Deendayal, Upadhyaya Marg, N.Delhi St, London. Manchester or Sheffield 110002, India. 6 Demo against proposed Triden t 27 - 6 May Envirornent Week ,1985 The June submarine base at Coulport on the Rose­ work of the Civic Trust. lnfo: Civic YC N O Anti- Trident Demo, Glasgow. neath Peninsula near Faslane. Scottish Trust, 17 Car lton House Terr, London Assemble George Sq. 12.30, encircle the C NO Motorcade converging from main SW1 Y SAW. Send large SAE. new MOD building. March starts lpm, towns and cities of Scotland. Contac t: 27 World D ay for Laboratory Animals finishes at rally in Kelvin Hall. SCNO, 420 Sauchiehall St, Glasgow G2 Demos globally. British Union Against 12 Scottish C ND Peace Festival Kelvin (tei:041 331 2878). Vivisection (BUAV) are organrs~ng Hall, Glasgow. SCNO: 041 331 2878 5- 8 CND National Demo against C ruise ac tions at Hazleton labs, Harrogate; 5 British Nuclear Fuels to appear in at Molesworth, Cambridgeshire. Toxical Labs, Herefordshire; Wickham Carlisle Cmwn Court to answer charges Contact: Your local group or national Research labs, Hampshire. lnfo: BUAV arising from a leak in November 1983 CND. See you there! 01 607 1545 or 01 607 1892. when some Greenpeace divers were cont­ 8 A Wal k will be leaving Sizewell on 29 When t he Wind Blow s Stage play of aminated. Harr isburg Day (28 M arch) to arrive at book by Raymond Briggs at Kings 15 - 16 Sevemside Campaign Against Molesworth on Easter Day. The Walk Theatre, Glasgow. Radiation c::>nference, with the aim of will be pointing to the links between May forming an information pool. Contact Nuc lear Power and Nuclear War. 7 1979 Torness Occupation is Sue Haverley, Hillside Cottage, liney Contac t: Ann and John Stringer, 1 Fell 10 Reclaiming the Earth 10.30pm I hr Wodside, lydney, Glos. Tel: Blakney 445 Rd, Birdbrook, Halstead, Essex, C09 4BG Channel 4 documentary on enviroment 15- 16 Celebration of Cr eativity at (stamp please) tel: Ridgewc.ll 440. and development. Can be copied off­ laurieston Hall Community. lnfo. on this 15 Video: 'Atomic Cafe' 8pm, air: for adult education tel: 01 482 2847, and other activities from laurieston Southfield Centre, Duns, Berwickshire. for schools & colleges tel: 0733 63122. Hall, Castle Douglas, S.W. Scotland. Tel: Berwickshire Anti- Nuclear Campaign. Free viewers' notes: send SAE to PO 0644 275. lnfo: lenora Godwin, 4 Hurkur Cres. Box 4000, Glasgow G12 9JQ or London 21-23 CND Festi val at Glastonbury, over Eyemouth, Berwickshire. W3 6XJ. Publicity leaflet: tel. 01 482 Midsummer. 15 - 21 International Acid Rain Week 2847. lnfo: your local Friends of the Earth 11 Mountbatten Day Ex- Services C NO Group. plan meetings in 4 cities on the 6th ann­ 17 April Rosalie Bertell to give a talk iversary of his Strasbourg speech on the in Edinburgh on the health effects of madness of nuclear 'defence'. London, low level radiation. Venue to be C ardiff, Edinburgh or Glasgow and York arranged. or Leeds. lnfo: John Hurst 01 892 8912 From little Black Rabbit's Galloway re­ 26 Cycle Ride for life Converging on (home) or 01 245 5065 (work). treat interesting developments in BNFL's Moleworth Cruise Base from all over. 11- 12 Women's Peace Conference C hapelcr oss plant have been noticed. lnfo: Tony Fletcher tel: Swansea 49825 Malvern Hills College, Malvern, Worcs. A long fence has been erected around (home) or Swansea 468500 (work). £2 - £10 + food. Creche & access. Please land adjacent to the four Magnox reactor 26 - 29 Windpower Course with practical book early. nuclear power station and tritium f.a c­ sessions, at the Centre for Alternat ive 12 - 27 The Great Peace Init iative A tory which produces an essential ingred­ ient of thermonuclear weapons. Despite numerous r equests, BNFL will not explain why they have erected the fence. However, little Black Rabbit has made some educated guesses. The land could be for a new power station to replace the Magnox reactors when ------, they ar e removed f rom service to con­ r--3::<'- --: ------...,... Your Name:...... I tinue plutonium pr oduction. Alternative­ SUBSCRIPTION FORM : I ly, an expanded tritium plant could be Address: ...... I SCRAM J o .. mal ann"al oub6<'r1ptlon ra l.t' I envisaged. Because of its r elatively short Sub for sla luuu ...... £7 I half life (12.3 year-s) tritium needs to O'"""u ...... £9 monry ordrr be continually pr oduced to ensure effec­ ln•lltullon• ...... •.... ( 12 I To lhe M anager ...... ; ...... Bank , tive weapons. Trident may require addi­ Suppor11ng sub ...... •. . £I 0 rrtum to I llfr sub...... £50 SCRAM. 11 For1h ~c. l Address:. tional f acilit ies. Hous('hold s uh ...... 00 EDINBliRGH I J l.f. 1 The third thought Little Black Rabbit I .A /C NO had was protection of the public! The YES, lt W e wish to sub scribe · I Please pay on ...... (ls t payment) to discharge pipeline into the Solway is ru­ I Royal Bank of Scotland, 142 Princes moured to be corroding and high levels Name ...... ! ~ t reet, Edinburgh (83-51-00) the sum of radioactivity have been recorded a- Address ...... 1 of ...... for t!te credi t of SCRi\11 no. 2 'o""d ' - -~ .. account 258597 and make similar pay- contam · 11 1 a.t..~91/)'!H !2J tf.s.cr1dj oy~tiv ity~ ...... i •nents monthly/yearly until caocelled. 1 Unt I JtNf.T""a'd'm~• .llle.L.,erecte a fence» uch speculation will Qrow. Com ...... Tel No ...... l sisned...... Pate ...... : . . whww. 1aka.ar L on BNF gtve us t e answder. • ------.J.. ------. Diattixe 2017 20