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1982 UNITED NATIONS CONVENTION ON THE LAW OF THE SEA BEFORE AN ARBITRAL TRIBUNAL ESTABLISHED UNDER ANNEX VII IN THE DISPUTE CONCERNING THE MOX PLANT, INTERNATIONAL MOVEMENTS OF RADIOACTIVE MATERIALS, AND THE PROTECTION OF THE MARINE ENVIRONMENT OF THE IRISH SEA IRELAND V. UNITED KINGDOM MEMORIAL OF IRELAND VOLUME I 26 JULY 2002 ii iii MEMORIAL OF IRELAND CONTENTS List of Colour Plates in Volume I .................................................................................xi PART I: THE FACTUAL AND HISTORICAL BACKGROUND ....................1 CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION............................................................................... 3 A. Geography and Oceanography................................................................................. 6 B. The Irish Sea and its Importance to Ireland ............................................................. 8 Radioactivity in the Irish Sea............................................................................. 9 OSPAR Reports............................................................................................... 10 Other Reports................................................................................................... 14 Conclusions ..................................................................................................... 15 C. The Sellafield Site (MOX, THORP and Related Facilities) .................................. 16 Operational Activities............................................................................... 18 Radioactive Waste Management............................................................... 20 Transport Activities................................................................................... 22 Transfer of MOX and THORP from BNFL to the New Liabilities Management Authority ............................................................ 22 D. The General Concerns of the Irish People, the Irish Government and Third Governments. ......................................................................................................... 23 CHAPTER 2: THE MOX PLANT........................................................................... 27 A. The Manufacture of MOX fuel, and Related Activities......................................... 27 The Nuclear Fuel Cycle............................................................................. 28 Step 1: Reprocessing of Spent Nuclear Fuel ............................................. 29 The THORP Reprocessing Plant............................................................... 30 Step 2: The Manufacture of MOX Fuel .................................................... 31 B. International Shipments of Radioactive Materials through the Irish Sea............... 34 Transports of Spent Fuel into the United Kingdom .................................. 34 Transport of MOX fuel from the United Kingdom................................... 34 Transport of MOX fuel to the United Kingdom........................................ 35 Opposition to the Transport of Radioactive Materials by Sea................... 35 Vessels Used for Transportation ............................................................... 37 C. MOX Economics – Its Market, and Competition .................................................. 38 D. Ownership and Management of the Sellafield Site: BNFL and the Proposed Liabilities Management Authority. ........................................................ 39 iv The MOX Plant and the LMA................................................................... 39 BNFL’s Compliance Record..................................................................... 41 E. Regulatory Background and the Decision-making Process ................................... 44 Planning Permission and the 1993 Environmental Statement................... 45 The Justification Process and the Discharge Authorisations..................... 45 The Decision of 3 October 2001 ............................................................... 47 CHAPTER 3: ENVIRONMENTAL IMPLICATIONS OF THE MOX AUTHORISATION................................................................ 51 Introduction.................................................................................................................. 51 A. Pollution Arising as a Result of the Authorisation of the MOX Plant................... 52 (1) The MOX Plant and THORP Are Inextricably Linked............................. 52 (2) The Overall Amounts of the Discharges from Sellafield .......................... 54 (3) The Effects of the MOX Development on the Amounts of the Discharges from Sellafield ........................................................................ 56 Planned Discharges of Radioactive Isotopes from MOX Production........................................................................................... 56 Planned Discharges of Radioactive Isotopes from THORP and Other Associated Facilities .......................................................... 58 Consequences for Liquid and Aerial Discharges From Sellafield for Three Different Operational Scenarios......................... 59 Unplanned Discharges from MOX, THORP and Associated Facilities, and Other Factors That Could Affect Discharges from Sellafield.................................................................................... 61 B. Radiation Pathways from the MOX Plant and Associated Facilities and Shipments, and Impacts upon Humans and the Environment................................ 62 (1) Radiation Pathways................................................................................... 62 (2) The Effects of Discharges into the Irish Sea ............................................. 63 Effects upon Marine Life.................................................................... 63 Effects on Humans ............................................................................. 64 (3) The Effects of Radiation............................................................................ 65 C. Use of Abatement Technologies ............................................................................ 66 CHAPTER 4: THE DISPUTE.................................................................................. 69 A. The THORP Plant: 1977-1984............................................................................... 70 B. The MOX Environmental Statement: 1993 ........................................................... 70 C. The Discharge Authorisations................................................................................ 71 D. “Justification” and the OSPAR Dispute: 1997-2001 ............................................. 71 The Consultation Process.......................................................................... 72 The Justification Decision of 3 October 2001........................................... 75 Ireland’s Efforts to Obtain Information..................................................... 75 UNCLOS................................................................................................... 79 v Proceedings before the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea and the Order of Tribunal Dated 3 December 2001 ........................... 82 Developments Subsequent to the ITLOS Order........................................ 83 Exchange of Information between the Parties........................................... 84 Transportation of Radioactive Materials to and from Sellafield in the Light of the United Kingdom’s Assurances to the ITLOS and Ireland................................................................................................. 85 PART II: THE LAW .............................................................................................93 CHAPTER 5: JURISDICTION................................................................................ 95 CHAPTER 6: THE APPLICABLE LAW............................................................... 99 Introduction.................................................................................................................. 99 A. The Relationship between the Rules of the 1982 UNCLOS and Other Rules of International Law..................................................................................... 99 B. The Application of the Rules in UNCLOS .......................................................... 101 C. The Application of Other Rules of International Law Not Incompatible with the Convention............................................................................................. 102 (1) International Treaties............................................................................... 102 (2) Customary International Law.................................................................. 105 Precautionary Principle .................................................................... 105 Sustainable Development and the Obligation to Apply Current Norms and Standards of Environmental Protection ............ 107 (3) Internationally Agreed Standards and Recommended Practices and Procedures ........................................................................................ 109 Summary and Conclusions ........................................................................................ 110 CHAPTER 7: ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT.......................... 111 Introduction................................................................................................................ 111 A. The Rationale for Environmental Assessment..................................................... 112 B. The Law..............................................................................................................