THE SCOTTISH CAMPAIGN TO RESIST THE ATOMIC MENACE,2 AINSLIE PLACE,E~INBURGH.031-2?5 7752 ISSN 0140- 7340 No 8 October/November 1978 lOp TORDESS OEEUPIEDI ---protesters rebuild cottage---- On 30th September the date on which the tenant farmers on the Torness site gave up their land to the SSEB, the 15 members of the Torness Alliance moved on. Supported by a group of similar size outwith the site; they immediately began to rebuild the derilict 'Half Moon' cottage, which is seen as a base for the occupation. This m·ove, to non-violent direct action and civil disobedience, was not taken without careful thought and planning.Clearly Mr. Millan, the Secretary of State, has decided to turn a deaf ear to any objections to Torness - whether they come from anyi- nuclear groups or the Labour · controlled Lothian Regional Council~

Thus, in the spirit of the Torness declaration, non-violent direct action is the only option availabl e if the power sta!on is to be stopped. DE COMMISSIONING FRIENDLY THE HIDDEN PROBLEMS

Those participating (from all over Britain) British nuclear This statement, however, carefully planned this companies have deliberately flies i n the face of action; and of necessit y played down the difficulties evidence , both from t he trained in non-violent involved in scrapping atomic United States and the A. E.A's techniques. This planning pl ant. own sc-ientists. Their has paid off the l ocal report s claim t hat outworn community has rallied round According to a r.ecent plants are highly radioact ive in support and materials for 'Guardian' repor.t the Atomic and should be l eft for the reconstruction of the Ener gy Authority "is certain 100- 150 years for the cottage have been readily · that i t could demolish a r adi at ion t o " cool down" ma.de available; and the· nuclear react or local police have been comprehensivel y enough to b efoo=~=~]J univer sally friendly. restore the sit e to agricultural use". ~~ ------~ rl '"Yf'W . fU" . UY (continued on page 7) . ·~ [ 1 1 Dlgitlud 2017 ; ...... --~~~ , This is no COSTS HIDDEN These latest figures are simple surface pollution - a far cry from predictions in Cobalt 60 is impregnated into Official statements have the early 1950s when nuclear the 1300 tonnes of cooling also hidden the cost of stations were first built. pipes, making chemical decommissioning reactors. In Some early publicity went so decontamination impossible. its latest annual r~port the far as to declare that South of Electricity nuclear energy would become Chemical agents can, as Board gives the cost of too cheap to meter. a first stage, be used to nuclear electricity as 1.227p scrub down the exposed per unit, a large increase on In those heady days surfaces, but the reactor the 1976/77 figure and only designers paid scant must then be decommissioned marginally cheaper than attention to the problems of by one of three methods: electricity generated by decommissioning nuclear , oil and gas turbine. facilities. Only in the past two years have they been DISMANTLEMENT As revealed in the last fully documented and a paper, 'Energy Bulletin' this published in 1977 by the Dismantlement involves seemingly precise calculation Atomic Energy the total removal of the completely ignores the future Authority admits that "costs plant to radioactive waste cost of decommissioning have not been discussed since burial grounds. The land is nuclear reactors. studies in more depth will be then restored to its original required before valid condition and released for SCRAM has recalculated estimates can be derived". unrestricted use. the cost of nuclear The difficulties must be electricity adding in the faced ve~y soon - small The radioactivity is a SSEB's allocation of 6.7 reactors have already been major hazard for demolition million pounds per year for closed down and the first crews and much of the cutting future decommissioning. large commercial stations are of reactor parts would need Nuclear power is now seen to now nearing .the end of their to be done by be .!!!2!!. expensive (see table) lifespan. · remote-controlled equipment than electricity from fossil underwater a costly and fuel stations. RADIOACTIVE time-consuming business.

EXPENSIVE A commercial nuclear MOTHBALLING station has a working life of Yet even this figure is 20-25 years. During this At the other extreme, an underestimate of the true time its steel cooling pipes mothballing simply entails price of nuclear generated are subject to intense taking out the fuel and electricity. It hides the radiation from the core which radioactive waste and placing cost of repairing Hunterston partly transforms the steel the plant in protective B station (following a into radioactive Cobalt 60. storage. A mothballed seawater leakage last year)t The Cobalt has a pal£ life of station must be constantly direct Governement subsidies 5.2 years and takes some guarded to prevent sabotage and expenditure on 100-150 years to decay or vandalism, and undergo reprocessing waste fuel. If substantially. annual radiological surveys these are added then the cost and periodic maintenance. becomes 1.8p per unit, some S.S.EB·s calculatedoost: 30% more expensive than Coal .etc. 1.332p ENTOMBMENT electricity from traditional Nuclear 1.227p sources. A compromise method is Add decommissioning : entombmentt which consists o'f Coal etc. 1 342p sealing the reactor with Nuclear 1.365p concrete or steel after all Add· extras : the liquid waste, fuel and Nuclear l.Sp surface contamination have been removed. Since the radioactive core would be encased the plant would not not require an elaborate security system. It wou1d, however, need annual surveillance for possible radioactive leaks and periodic maintainance.

The last two methods are merely holding operations, eventually the. reactor must be demolished. The present plan of both British and US PROBLEMS Nearer home the SSEB has plant operators is to revised its estimates for maintain and watch over the Secondly similar decommissioning - this year closed plant for up to 150 estimates have ignored, or it allocated 6.7 million years before finally played down, the cost of pounds for future costs, dismantling it. burying some 5,000 tons of compared with 500,000 pounds contaminated steel and for 1976-77. This is the No comprehensive study concrete from each reactor. amount omitted from their of the cost of such an A recent British report published comparison with operation has been carried admits that the radioactivity traditionally generated out in Britain, but at a "coupled with the massive electricity. recent press conference Dr bulk of the waste poses major Marsham of the UKAEA disposal problems." Despite the palliative estimated that decom- press statements from the missioning would cost 8-15% Finally surveys in the UKAEA, nuclear scientists are of the capital price of a u.s. have consistently now seriously concerned about reactor. For an Advanced Gas understated decommissioning the cost and technical Reactor, such as that costs. The US Energy problems of scrapping proposed for Torness, Research and Development reactors. It seems .certain, decommissioning would thus Administration predicted that though, that monuments to cost 60 million pounds at it would spend 3 billion their endeavours, made from today's prices. dollars over the next 100 radioactive steel and years to decommission its concrete, will be standing There is good evidence plants, yet a private around our coastline for many that this may underestimate contractor has given an years to come. the difficulties involved. estimate of 4 billion dollars None of the present to decommission one generation of reactors . were installation alone (the designed with decommissioning Hanford facility, with 9 in mind and the tangle of reactors and ancilliary steel and concrete which plant) - excluding disposal makes up the heart of a of waste. reactor may require to be dismantled by specialised equipment such as plasma arc cutters.

Praise is not however We are committed to • universal. Our subscribers halting the construction of within the nuclear industry Scotland's latest nuclear Editorial (SSEB, CEGB, UKAEA and BNFL) power station st Torness in have not been exactly vocal East Lothian and to do that in their support. we will need all the help we can get and that you can Many of our sympathisers afford to give. have ·also criticised us in issue of the Energy various ways and hence We must extend the Bulletin is the eighth. That influenced the Bulletin. As Bulletin's readership and it means we've been going for we have said before, all must rest on a secure sixteen months. When a new criticism or comments are financial basis. (The publication enters its second more than welcome. Similarly price, for example, year or asks for any information of nuclear does not even cover the cost subscriptions to be renewed, activities in your area ot of production.) So, again, we it is a real test of its anything of interest that you appeal to you. Please show popularity and effectiveness. come across - please let us the Bulletin to your friends, know - or better still write buy extra copies to resell, Those of us who put an article about it yourself! send in articles or together the Bulletin have The Bulletin is as much a donations. We cannot survive been more than encouraged by vehicle for your ideas as for without your practical, the feedback. Most people ours. financial and moral support. have resubscribed (many with especial generosity) and most Now is by no means the All correspondence have praised the content and time for complacency. It is should be addressed to format of the Bulletin. We still an uphill struggle SCRAM Energy Bulletin, 2a .now regularily sell over 1000 .against the nuclear lobby. and Ainslie Place, Edinburgh 3 • copies• including more than our resources are still Tel: 031 225 7752 (offica 300 to subscribers. itiful com ared to theirs. hours) because plutonium is relatively insoluble and ALDERMASTON remains in the lungs (posing a local cancer threat) rather EXPOSURE than passlng into the b.ody and hence into the urine. Sir Edward Pochin, of the RECYCLING National Radiologi-c.:al Protection Board (NRPB) - and The to the one of the assessors at the problem lies in the use of a Windsdale Inquiry is at whole body monitor a present carrying out a machine which has been in special Inquiry into the routine use at Windscale plutonium contamination of 12 since 1967 and since workers in the special 1971. The machines are carnsore laundry and a research block expensive {500,000 pounds), at the Atomic Weapons but the cost of one would pointless Research Establishment (Al¥RE) hardly have caused a dent in at Aldermaston. Meanwhile, Aldermas'ton' s budget. all plutonium handling areas Ironically, much of the cost Is Eire also set for a at Aldermaston have been lies ~n the provision of nuclear future? The closed by the Ministry of metal shielding to screen out government, in a Green Paper Defence following workers' background radiation. Modern "Energy Ireland" published in fears about exposure to steel is contaminated by July, managed with all the radioactive materials. radioactive fallout so it is usual platitudes and necessary to use steel half-truths to fabricate a Besides basic concern produced before 1945 such case for a nuclear power about the whole rationale as old battleships from Scapa programme. Carnsore Point, behind the plant - the use of Flow. At least, such use is in the far southeast corner nuclear weapons - there are a good example of the value of t he Republic, has been two areas of serious concern. of recycling! Aldermaston is selected as a site for the Firstly, it appears that to receive its own whole body first station - probably to international recommendations monitoring in 1979; but in be a 650 MW PWR. for the protection of nuclear January a ~hole body monitor power workers, accepted by was borrowed from the NRPB at But present generating the Government in 1968, were Harwell and the use of this capacity of the Electricity not brought into use at monitor revealed the excess Supply Board , (ESB), is Aldermaston until Autumn 1977 doses in 12 workers (15% of already 2'400 MW - that's 50% - less than a year ago. those tested). over-capacity. Planned for Clearly over-exposure 1984-85 is a 3,400 MW PLUTONIUM may have been taking place capacity generated with for a number of years: and conventional stations. And Secondly, since these the wprkers are right tc be now an extra 650 l-fW?? measures are essentially concerned. concerned with monitoring IMMORALITY individual exposure to plutonium in the air, there It is to be hoped that must remain the fundament~! the special inquiry fully question of how the levels of investigates the situation plutonium in the air were so both in terms of the causes high as to lead to such of exposure and the reasons • ~·~~~ exposure. fqr the inadequate monitoring ~~~~ of plutonium levels. The With regard to the first military secrecy of the plant problem, at Aldermaston may be one reason for past monitoring of plutonium laxness and incompetance; levels has depended upon and it may be that this keeping a check on the level secrecy may result in much of of plutonium in the air. the report being suppressed. However, this is not The report must be published necessarily a good measure of in full. Furthermore, if the the level of plutonium past management of the plant ••~·~ reaching and being absorbed is shown to be at fault, in the lungs. Assessment of those responsible should be R the plutonium levels in made accountable. Perhaps, lDDAY workers relied upon monthly however, the problem is more /j 1/.,f ~lit, L urine samples; but urine fundamental and lies in the ToHOifffOV - samples are an inadequate inherent immorality of ~ ~~----~~ method of measuring plutonium nuclear weapons development - contamination in the lungs no matter how 'safely' this CARNSORE POINT DEMONSTRATION is carried out. Nuclear Power ••• • • ? NO

On the weekend 19/20 August there was a huge Anti-nuclear Power Festival on the isolated Carnsore Point, Co . Wexford. Enticed no doubt by the folk bands appearing, 6-7000 people came and listened to alternative views which e~plained the absolute folly of a nuclear future for Ireland. Speakers pointed to the tremendous potential for development of natural energy sources plenty of sun, wind and Atlantic waves to supplement the newly discovered coal POLICE GUARD HEYSHAM GATES reserves. An All Ireland Movement. After the S- mile walk, the marchers assembled Harwell An excellent pamphlet outside the steel fence of "Nuclear the impossible the unfinished Heysham gamble", (Pamphlet 30p inc. nuclear power station to hear rules the p~ from Cork A.N.G., 40 Paul speeches by three brave local Street, Cork,Eire.), produced councillors, who are opposed by R. s. puts the Irish to the siting of a second AGR waves situation about the power of station there. One of the~e the nuclear industry councillors was opposed to internationally. They have the ~riginal application in QUESTION When is set down a possible structure 1969 - a time when opposition alternative energy not for an anti-nuclear movement to nuclear ·power was tiny. 4lteernative ? encompassing all 32 ANSWER : When it's run by countries. It would be a Perhaps the one thing the Nuclear Industry • valuable read for us too. which clouded a pleasant day was the unnecessarily heavy The United States More information from police presence. After the government has allocated a Cork A.N.G. and also from pleas~nt and co-operative sizeable sum though tiny FoE Ireland, Arbutus Road, attitude of the police compared with the amount for Dublin. previously, it was strange to nuclear energy for solar see a 'Black Maria' with research. The major about 30 police hiding down a recipient of these funds is HEYSHAM side street in suburbia. the Westinghouse Corporation furthermore, was it necessary -formerly known for their for the rally at Heysham to commercial nuclear reactors. be observed by police with PROTEST binoculars from the Nearer home, SCRAM (temporarily closed) 'public phoned Edinburgh's answer to observation post'? the Energy Crisis Dr. Salter of• the Wave Power On Saturday 16th Unit, to ask permission to September about 800 people film a section of our Open gathered near the pier at Door programme at his new Morecambe in order to wave tank. We were told demonstrate their opposition that; since the unit receives to the Heysham AGR being money from Barwell (the constructed 5 miles down the Atomic Energy Research coast. The organisers, 'Half Establishment) it would be L~fe', had encouraged all "politically unwise" to those attending to make the include film of the wave tank demonstration a 'fun in our programme. occasion' - as a consequence, many of those present were Add to this a research dreased in bizarre costumes report on Geothermal Energy while the march to Heysham in the lates~ ATOM (the limp was fronted by a horse and organ of the UKAEA) and it cart and a nuclear dragon. seems as though the nuclear industry is backing all tiorses in the race. • TOR NESS • the bad news ______

It For those of you who naively was not clear whether this believe that the SSEB 1o•ere consent referred to the only thinking of building one SSEB ' s renewed application 1, 320 Mw nuclear power (reportedly for 1,320 Mw) or station at Torness, prepare to the 1973 application. yourselves for · a ~asty s urprise - they have in fact SCRAM wrote to the got planning permission for Scottish Economic Planning "up to 5,280 Mw of capacity" Department asking them to in other words for 4 clarify the situation. They the good news nuclear power stations. More eventually replied on 13th electricity, that is, than September confirming SCRAM's On August 22nd, Lothian the simultaneous maximum worst fears that the consent Regional Council passed a demand on the whole of the issued on May 24th "applies motion calling on the SSEB's system last year - and to the construction on the Secretary of State to a nuclear park larger than Torness site. of generating reconsider his· decision not any other in the UK. capacity of up to 5, 280 Mw to hold a public inquiry into associated with an Advanced the proposed nuclear power How did such a Gas Cooled Reactor". station at Torness, drawing frightening prospect come .his attention to the many about and how has it objections to the proposal escaped people's notice until CONNED and to the lack of real now? public debate on whether we This means that the want a 'wasteful In 1973, the SSEB public has no effective say energy-intensive society'. applied for permission to as to whether Torness "B", build up to 5,280 Mw of "C" or "D" should be built. This motion was proposed nuclear capacity at Torness The Secretary of State does by Councillor Donald Gorrie and asked for permission to have to authorise expenditure (Liberal) and seconded by build any of four types of an~ nuclear site licences William Hardie of the SNP and reactor (including the Steam have to be granted but was passed by 24 votes to 21 Generating Heavy Vater these are not processes in on a free vote with the Reactor (SGBWR) and one which the public plays any support of most labour Advanced Gas Cooled Reactor important part - indeed they councillors and 2 (AGR)). tend to be rubber-stamping conservatives. procedures. Under planning law there is nothing the Unfortunately, the SUPERFICIAL public can do to prevent Secretary of State has chosen Torness becoming Brit~in's to ignore the elected After a very limited and hugest and most horrifying representatives of the people superficial local public nuclear complex. The SSEB of the ·Lothian Region and on inquiry in 1974, the have been quietly fostering 25th September he replied Secretary of State for the idea that they only have (through his secretary) that Scotland in 1975 issued one station in mind for he did not consider that the consent to the SSEB Torness·. The revelation that resolution raised any issues specifically for the SGHWR. they in fact have permission to which he had not already After subsequent prolonged for four can unly anger given. consideration. internal controversy , the people. We are not prepared nuclear industry finally to be conned into accepting Understandably, the abandoned the SGHWR and opted massive and dangerous Regional Council was not for the AGR in January this satisfied with such a year. platitudinous response and the Policy and Resources Then followed a renewed Committee agreed unanimously application from the SSEB, that the Secretary of State and on May 24th Bruce Millan, should now be asked to Secretary of State for receive personally an Scotland, issued consent .for all-party deputation from the "an Advanced Gas Cooled Council to discuss the Reactor Nuclear Station". matter. LOCAL SSEB ACTION + + + Dating Diana Manders, Secretary of the Lothian and Borders Anti-Nuclear Group reports. Service 'The Lothian and Borders Anti-Nuclear Group' held an exhibition in Dunbar from A recent issue of the September 19-21. It was well SSEB News waxed eloquent As a consequence of this attended, both by pro and about the Board's exhibition success the occupation, anti anuclear factions in the in Dunbar, ending with: originally scheduled to last town. Apart from an for a week, will now continue exhibition loaned by SCRAM "There were at least till the end of Southwest and one from the several professional October. Conservation Society, there grumblers who, when was a third one made they had exhausted The· occupiers welcome specially by SCRAM in the nuclear subjec-t, anyone who wishes to join Edinburgh which was turned to electricity them, stressing only that colourful, well-mounted and bills.... Comments this is a non-violent informative. An anti-nuclear in the book - there campaign. Anyone wishing to slide show was run were over 1000 jointhe occupation should continuously. ranged from 'an contact SCRAM first; and we attractive scheme can proveide further details. It was pleasing to see which should serve However, it must be several school,groups brought the community well' emphasised that anyone in by their teachers. The to 'a lot of joining the occupation should group has since been invited eyewash'. have a tent, warm clothes and to speak at a school in N. finance to supply their o~ Berwick. One youngster foo.d for the p·resent_at. quoted his teacher as least. The occupiers· are Lone SSEB represent­ saying 'There was particularly anxious for atives were spotted amongst more chance of a Mars people possessing skills in building or gardening, or· other pro-Torness visitors. bar exploding' and ~ On reading the visitors' young woman of alternative technology, to join them; even if for a few book, most people seemel· marriagable age days. Furthermore, they have impressed by the scale of the looked forward to issued an appeal for exhibition, considering that 'more interesting materials in particular it was done on a shoe-string. talent' among the corrugated iron, timber, Unlike the SSEB, we did not construction cement, blankets, gardening invite the press to ~,.;..__,,.--I workers." pre-opening drinks and lunch, and carpentry tools, nor did we run to potted tarpaulins, sleeping bags, plants. However, we did scarves, gloves, woolly hats, offer free cups of tea to wellington boots, everyone who came and ran wheelbarrows, fishing lines bric-a-brac stalls as an and vehicles. added incentive. In addition, if the The three day exhibition occupation is to go on, it is culminated in a public proposed to begin to keep meeting. The two films shown animals such as chickens or were 'Sam Lovejoy's Nuclear goats! If you do have any War' and Granada TV's "The unused items, (or animals), Nuclear Accident". The such as those above, we would meeting was addressed by Mrs. be glad to hear from you~ Dorothy Paulin, Chairman of This occupation could be the SCRAM SW, who spoke on the start of something very big - dangers of dumping nuclear . but the present occupiers waste. Altogether, it was a cannot continue forever on successful venture with a their own. The success of better exhibition than the . the occupation now depends on SSEB less frills but more t'HE TORNESS MONSTER-"P""ETHER ~·:.r CAN ,.0P.IT how m~ny people join them, factsl ·•v. WL 51 •and the support of.all of us. Members asked questions and the • • The sites concerned were both campatgntng replies were very interesting. For the first within the Northumbria National Park, situated in a time it was admitted that, against should the UKAEA, after wild, inaccessible and investigation pronounce particularly beautiful area nuclear Mullwharcher to be a suitable of the Cheviot Hills. It was site for dumping, it might proposed to drill several waste well be used as such. It was boreholes on each side as pointed out that a referendum part of the nationwide Following our brief resume in investigation into the the last issue on the waste had revealed that between 80% and 90% of the areas suit~bility of igneous rocks dumping threat in Scotland, for storing nuclear waste. two correspondents describe population were against the campaigns against the test-boring, let alone dumping, and that, at one of The two district UKAEA's plans in Galloway and councils involved, Alnwick Northumbria. the first meetings arranged by the UKAEA to 'sell' the and Berwick, were first idea in the area, Dr. Feates consulted about the proposals but the matter was passed to At the moment SCRAM had stated that, if the people didn't want it, they the National Parks Committee (South-West) is anxiously of the Northumbria County awaiting the decision to be wouldn't get it. The representatives' reply was Council for a decision. To made by Kyle and Carrick assess the public reaction to District Council on 24 that democracy's power lay in October as to whether UKAEA's the ballot box. The answer the applications, public meetings were held in planning application for seemed to us very disturbing Rothbury and Wooler, both test-borings on Mullwharcher for, though even now our towns being close to the should be refused or·not. representatives in Parliament and local authority are sites. The turnout at both meetings clearly indicated On 30 August the mainly of our opinion, what Council, contrary to habitual chance have they in a the public concern over the matter and despite a nicely procedure, called a meeting show-down with a determinedly at which those who had sent nuclear- oriented government? produced but not so in objections to the Inthe event of Kyle& Carrick convincing tape-slide show application were allowed to refusing the application, an from the UKAEA, the meetings state their cases. The appeal being lodged, and a were almost unanimously meeting was well attended, possible Public Inquiry being opposed to the propositions. well conducted and orderly. called for, would the result Grounds for opposition varied All sorts and conditions of be another farce, like greatly, from effect on local people were there lawyers, Windscale? If a 80%-90% amenities to ethical teachers, scientists, indication of will is not objections to all things engineers, writers, trade enough, what is? nuclear. Noone, however, was unionists, MPs, mothers, prepared to accept the test housewives, students, Dorothy Paulin, drillings as being a separate shopkeepers, farmers, OAPs Chairman, SCRAM (SW). issue from the eventual and every shade of politics. dumping of waste. There was no undue emotion, no histrionics, just reasoned RALLY argument and quiet TEST BORINGS IN THE CHEVIOT determination that the answer HILLS·- THE STORY SO FAR It was encouraging to should be 'No'. The AEA find, from the comments after representatives present could Earlier this year the the UKAEA slide show, that it is becoming much more have been left in no doubt Atomic Energy Authority difficult to pull the wool about the feelings o·f the applied for planning inhabitants of the area. permission to drill test over.the eyes of the public. boreholes in two granite It was a most impressive areas in the Cheviot Hills. meeting because 70 different people put 70 different points of view, all with exactly the same conclusion.

A very different meeting was held on 19 September, when the Kyle and Carrick Planning Committee listened to representatives from the UKAEA who elaborated their appiication fo~ the benefit of the Committee. LANDED Since Greenpea·ce visited the Torness site back in May, the has had an eventful five months, encompassing confrontations with Icelandic and Spanish fleets and with the MV ''Gem", the ship used by the UKAEA for sea dumping Britain's nuclear waste.

In July this year the Rainbow Warrior was steaming south to prevent the Spanish whalers from killing whales. Her course took her within a f .ew miles of the dumping zone for atomic waste disposed of Shortly On September 12th, the under the auspices of the National Parks was UKAEA appealed against the OECD Energy Commission. The due to come to its decision, refusal · of planning UK consignment, 5,500 barrels various groups in tne permiss-ion, which means a of "low level" radioactive Newcastle area got together public in~uiry. The council waste (weighing 2,066 tonnes) to express their views . On is already preparing its case was being dumped from the Saturday June 24 a mass rally for the inquiry and the "Gem", the ship operating of over 500 people took to various groups objecting to under licence from the UKAEA. the streets of Newcastle and the drilling are planning to later gathered to hear co-ordinate as far as After radio messages speeches on nuclear waste possible. from Greenpeace had been from MPs arid prospective MPs ignored, rubber inflatable represent~ng the three major Tactics to be employee dingies were placed under the political parties. Alan at the inquiry will depend on. tipping platforms · to Hurray of the National the terms of reference which physically prevent the Farmers Union also spoke and will hopefully not be operation from going ahead. After a few moments the event had very good media r~stricted to the coverage reaching both local environmental impact of deliberation, two seamen and national TV. drilling test boreholes. tipped a 600lb. barrel over the side, which smashed and On the following Monday Clive Elliot, Friends of completely wrecked one of the the National Parks Commiteee the Earth Tyneside dingies. Fortunately, noone voted by 23 to 1 to reject was hurt. the application. They were not convinced that tne The entire incident was drillings were purely for filmed, and at a subsequent research purposes and felt press conference ·in London, that a National Park was no Dr J.Lewis, in defending the place for such investigations dumping programme, let it be anyway. "known that 80Kg of plutonium is dumped annually by the UK INQUIRY alone.

Throughout the Greenpeace Limited will anti-dumping campaign, be ready for the UKAEA's protestors have been trying waste dumping ant~cs in the to draw attention to the link Atlantic in the future, and between nuclear waste and they hope to play a part in nuclear power but with the current occupation at limited success. More Torness. emphasis will need to be given to this aspect if the Pe-te Wilkinson, (;reenpeace opposition to nuclear dumping Limited, Colombo Street, Commi.tnity Centre, . ·off is not to become myopic about RAINBOW WARRIOR nuclear problems in general. BlackfriarR.oad, London SEl AT TORNESS IN IIAY (Tel. Ol-633-o929). In a chapter on the history of the international windscale wisdom movement against nuclear power, Breach points to the tan Breach Windscale increasing militancy of the Fallout, Penguin, 90p. environmentalists and local objectors, and cites the Penguin have joined the South West of Scotland as an bandwagon and just published example. In Orkney, public a book on the Windscale feeling is so strong that the controversy. With a bit of SSEB abandoned a programme of luck for Ian Breach (who was, prospecting for uranium. On incidentally, at Torness), Deeside, where uranium traces this could be the most widely have been detected, the read book on the .subject SSEB's chairman, Roy Berridge, confessed that he Solar energy research in The first half gives an had underestimated the Scotland is on the increase. extremely useful summary of reaction that the proposals At a conference held on. the Windscale Inquiry in a would arous-e. Breach September 21st at the way which is easy to concludes the chapter by University of Strathclyde, understand and much more saying that is is unlikely details of exciting new solar useful to the beginner than, that politicians will developments were revealed. say, the Guardian's book of challenge the conventional daily reports. economic wisdom - so unless These included a new there is a dramatic upheaval solar air collector system Breach picks on in the West's priorities; te for space and water heating proliferation as being the the environmentalist lobby likely to be more efficient singie ~ost important issue will become increasingly than simple solar water raised at the Inquiry. The militant and frustrated. The· heaters and a 'solar skin' arguments centred around the final chapter gives a useful designed to fit existing deficiencies and loopholes in run down of all the important buildings. The economics of the Non-Proliferation Treaty events since the Inquiry, solar heating and the and the Safeguards System of including many allegations possibility of applying solar the International Atomic from witnesses that Parker power to council houses were Energy Agency. On the one also subjects of discussion. has either ~isrepresented hand, there are groups like them or totally ignored their the Australian Government's evidence. The conference was Fox Commission, concluding organised by the Scottish that the defects "••• are so Solar Energy Group, which serious that existing came together earlier this safeguards may provide only year to encourage an illusion of protection." co-operation and the sharing On the other hand, British of information between those Nuclear Fuels Ltd.(BNFL) say involved in solar research or that it has no evidence that related work in Scotland. any of the material it has The Group includes interested eXJ)orted under contract "has people from University been-used for anything other departments local than its declared end use." authorities, housing Breach adds that the associations and the solar canadia~s could have said technology industry. much the same up to the very moment India exploded her Breach sees that the The areas of solar first thermocuclear device. failure of the research in Scotland are many environmentalists to reach and varied, including solar On the issue of civil the majority of people in panel evaluation, solar crop liberties in a society based Britain can only lead to drying (to reduce energy on plutonium, BNFL see disillusion, anger, demand in agriculture), heat increased security measures frustration an~ mistrust. He storage, photoelectric based on the state of society offers the long-running panels, and solar technology at large, not on the growth battle of Narita Airport in for the Third WOrld. of nuclear power. Breach Japan as an example of the comments "What they all miss future debate about nuclear Further information is is· an ecology of argument power. As Aldous Huxley available from the Scottish amongst the more thoughtful says, "Only a large-scale Solar Energy Group, c/o objectors which sees the popular movement towards Department of Architecture extension of ~uclear power decentraliSatio.n and and Building Science, and the extension of security self-help can arrest the University of Strathclyde, powers as two undesirable present tendency towards Glasgow. effects of the same cause: sta.tism." technocentricity". Wood Power Dry wood has a calorific value of about half that of bitumenous coal, and is, among other things, a Coal Power renewable resource; ie. solar energy converted by photosynthesis into a clean Douglas Wynn, a lecturer form of storable vegetative in Sociology at Stirling matter with a useful heat University has recently output of about 3Kw hours per become involved in a new kilogram when burnt in good, campaign to prevent the airtight, slow-combustion Kincardine Coal-fired power devices. The availability of station being shut down. wood varies, depending upon Here he describes the the location, an average background to the campaign. price of 10 pounds per tonne for sawmill waste is to be Several wood-fuelled Kincardine Power Station, at expected. appliances have a facility to 760 MW the third largest heat water for domestic coal-fired station in Good dry hardwood limbs purposes which compares Sc~tland, is now no longer to may be purchased for about 15 favourably, both on economic be used for base-load pounds per tonne if bought by and ecological grounds, with generation. Workers fear the lorry-load. The a 3Kw immersion heater which that the chronic commercial handling of timber demands that 10Kw of Qil or over-capacity of power plant produces waste at all stages, hard won coal be burnt at the in Scotland, with Inverkip from the felling of the .tree, power station, and by a and Boddam shortly to come to sawmill waste, which may contribution to a • fully on stream , will lead account for 40% of the whole simultaneous peak load, may to the decommissioning of tree being available for fuel unknowingly contribute to the Kincardine by 1990. That purposes. planning of another Advance date would tie in with the Gas Cooled Reactor, as do the SSEB's intended lead time for CLEAN heavily advertised electric their giant pumped storage cookers that the "Scottish scheme for Ben Lomond, which City dwellers often hoQsewife preferrs", or so would replace Kincardine's ignore the vast amount of they say. present function of "spinning wood that is rejected in the reserve" for peak loads. form of packing materials, Stewart McKenna, the pallets, boxes and demolition author of this thinly Decommissioning of timber; all of which is good disguised free advert helps Kincardine would also make dry timber with excellent to run ISIS Energy the case for actually burning properties and may be Conservation Limited, a new, building Torness somewhat had for the cost of transport struggling business which more respectable. only. The products of sells - among other things combustion in wood are very wood-burning stoves. They . REFURBISHED low in sulphur and chlorine can be contacted at SO, St oxide gases and like other Mary's Street, Edinburgh 1. A campaign to have fuels, such as oil and coal, Tel. 031-556-9812. Kincardine refurbished w.ith which, unless treated byt------i modern coal-fired plant is expensive processes, liberate /·- . being mounted by miners and large quantities of these ;""' power worl~ers iJl the area. acidic gases to the / . Thus far the campaign has the atmosphere. The ash residue support of the three local is comprised of mineral MPs, Central and Re·gions salts, when wood is and the STUC amongst others. efficiently burnt these salU . . It is estimated that 1, 000 being an excellent adjunct to jobs would be lost if the garden soil or compost. station. closes. The first objective of the campaign committee is to present its case directly to Gregor MCKenzie, the Scottish Office Minister responsible for the Electricity Boards, but they have ·no illusions that the fight will be easy or quickly

;[·--\ i __,__ __ won.

. . .. .~ ...... NICE ONE ERIC

Eric Barnes has made quite a name for himself in ea i thness. The Caithness MOSS DROSS Courier recently disclosed, in a front page exclusive, that Eric has discovered a Robert Moss, the founder remarkable fact. Solar member of the National Energy, he reveals, can Association for Freedom, has actually cut down fuel bills! ' discovered a new conspiracy - the anti-nuclear movement. Eric, an engineer and In a recent article in the keen D.I.Y. enthusiast, has Daily Telegraph, with a logic spent a lot of time and, ~e akin to that of Alice in reckons, about 100 pounds 1n Wonderland, he tries to link making his own solar panel, SCRAM, the Shah of Iran, the SCRANl ON T.V. American Section of the which he has plumbed into his Over a year ago SCKAM Fourth International and the home's hot water system. He applied for' the chance to Soviet Union in a fantastic estimates an annual saving of produce its ow.n 30 minute TV international plot to "at least 100 pounds" in his programme on the BBC's Open overthrow capitalism. fuel bills, and points out Door series. We have that it is not just str-ong recently been selected to "In Britain", says Moss, sunlight that heats the water make a programme for "all the major Trotskyite - but a typical Caithness screening on November 2nd groups are opposed to nuclear clear sky is really all that thia. year. is needed. energy. The current focus for the anti-nuclear campaign Obviously, we are very is in Scotland and the north Eric, by the way, works grateful for the opportunity of England, where recently for the UK Atomic Energy to explain our opposition to created organisations like Authority at their Dounreay nuclear power and to urge the Scottish Network to Nuclear Establishment. Well Open Door's estimated half a Resist the Nuclear Menace done, Eric. million viewers to join us. (SCRAM) (Sic!) are active." The film, after it has been televised, will also be He goes on to attack available from SCRAM for any WISE, the European group that wants to show it. anti-nuclear magazine, and its sinister links with the Meanwhile, make sure you Institute for Policy Studies tune in to BBC2 late on in Washington, the Thursday 2nd November. Transnational Institute in Amsterdam, Joshua t~omo's SUBSCRIBE NOW! Zimbabwe guerilla movement in I wish to subscribe to SCRAM Rhodesia and the Energy Bulletin for 1 year (6 International Mobilisation issu~s). for Survival. And as if all this wasn't enough, we are Name •••• • • •. • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • then informed that, "WISE is run by an eight man council, Address •••••••••••••••••••••• which includes a Mr Czech Conroy in London." Obviously ...... a guilty man with a name like that! (Czech Conroy in fact I enclose cheque/PO for works as energy campaigner l.OOpound. for Friends of the Earth Ltd (cheques payable to SCRAM; in London). no receipts issued unless IN THIS ISSUE requested). Apparently we are all being used in this way to *Torness - the good and bad Signature •••••••••••••••••••• help the Soviet Union achieve news its "long term strategy aimed *Windscale - the book Date. •. • • • • • • • • •-• • • • • • • • • • • • • at depriving the West of *Heysham - the protest automatic access to its *Nuclear Waste the Please send thia form, fuel." So now we know. campaigns subscription fee (plus any *Aldermaston.- the poisonings donations!) to SCRAM, 2a PUBLISHED BY SCRAM *Carnsore - the Point Ainslie Place, Edinburgh 3. Thanks. 2A AINSLIE PALCE,. EDINBURGH 3.