High-Level Radioactive Waste Shipped from UK
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Mar./AprilTOKYO 2010 No. 135 NUKECitizens' Nuclear INFO Information Center Akebonobashi Co-op 2F-B, 8-5 Sumiyoshi-cho, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 162-0065, JAPAN Phone: +81 3 3357 3800 Fax: +81 3 3357 3801 URL: http://cnic.jp/english/ e-mail : [email protected] High-Level Radioactive Waste Shipped from UK Photos by Masakazu Yamauchi (PEACE LAND) he first shipment of high-level radioactive waste (HLW) from the UK arrived in Rokkasho Mutsu-Ogawara Port, Aomori contracts with France's AREVA (formerly Cogema) TPrefecture on March 9. The shipment left the port and the UK's NDA (formerly BNFL) to reprocess1 of Barrow on January 21, UK time (January 22 their spent nuclear fuel. The contracts covered a Japan time). It was the first repatriation of any total of 7,100 tons of spent fuel. category of foreign waste to overseas customers All Japanese HLW produced in France was from the UK and was some 15 years later sealed in a total of 1,310 canisters and returned than originally projected. The ship, the Pacific to Japan in twelve shipments between April 1995 Sandpiper, passed through the Panama Canal early and March 2007. Only one cask was loaded on February. this first shipment from the UK, but the quantity Details of the shipment will increase in future consignments. Progressively A total of 28 vitrified HLW waste canisters, larger quantities were loaded onto the shipments each weighing about 500kg, were shipped on this from France. The largest quantity shipped at one occasion. They were packed into a single 98-ton time was 12 casks containing a total of 164 HLW (113.5 ton loaded) TN28VT transport cask (also canisters. referred to as a ‘flask’). Approximately 920 canisters of HLW will be Seven canisters each belong to Tokyo Electric Power Company, Kansai Electric Power Company, Contents Shikoku Electric Power Company and Kyushu HLW from UK arrives in Japan 1-3 Electric Power Company. They were produced at KK update 4 the THORP reprocessing plant in Sellafield, UK. Ryusuke Umeda Workers' Compo Claim 5 The nine Japanese electric power companies which Japan's Nuclear Licensing System 6-9 operate nuclear power plants as well as electricity Group Intro.: Niigata Women 10 wholesaler Japan Atomic Power Company signed News Watch 11,12 Mar./April 010 Nuke Info Tokyo No. 135 shipped from the UK to Japan over a period of ten Tim Deere-Jones produced a detailed briefing on years. Japan's power companies will receive around nuclear material shipments over the Irish Sea for 850 canisters of HLW directly resulting from their the NFLA.4 In addition to identifying the run- reprocessing contracts. Additionally, in place of away corrosion problem, he pointed out several low- and intermediate-level waste resulting from weaknesses with the double hulling of the vessels reprocessing of Japan's spent fuel, under a 2004 and showed that PNTL's claims that its ships are agreement a 'radiologically equivalent' quantity of collision-resistant are not credible. HLW will be shipped to Japan. This amounts to To bring these concerns into perspective, about 70 canisters.2 Significantly larger volumes it is important to bear in mind that there have of intermediate and low-level wastes, for which been many accidents involving shipments of these canisters were substituted, must be disposed radioactive substances. According to Deere-Jones, of in the UK. So far no such substitution agreement 20 accidents/incidents were recorded in the decade has been made with France. 1991 to 2000 involving INF Class 2 and INF Class The HLW that was returned from France is now 3 shipments5. These included fires and collisions in stored in the Vitrified Waste Storage Center on the harbor. The following quote from a letter written in site of the Rokkasho Reprocessing Plant in Aomori 1997 by the late Paul Leventhal, former President Prefecture. The HLW from the UK is destined for of the US-based Nuclear Control Institute, is a the same interim storage site. Under an agreement particularly sobering warning against complacency. with Aomori Prefecture, HLW may be stored in this "The hazards of shipping radioactive material facility for a maximum of 50 years from the time it by sea are very real. Last month, a container is deposited there. No final disposal site for Japan's ship carrying highly radioactive cesium was HLW has been chosen and there is no indication split in two in a storm in the Atlantic Ocean. that a suitable site will be found any time soon. The fore section went to the bottom with its Shipment safety and security problems cesium packages. French regulatory authorities Many problems have been identified with acknowledged the cesium containers would shipping HLW in general, and with this shipment in rupture at 3,000 meters, the depth at which particular. The UK's Nuclear Free Local Authorities the wreckage finally came to rest, but also (NFLA) issued a media release on January 25, announced they would not salvage the 2010 in which it raised the following concerns radioactive cargo. Lloyd's List, a shipping- about the condition of the Pacific Sandpiper. trade newspaper, editorialized that the sinking "The Pacific Sandpiper is now the oldest of the ship, the MSC Carla, is 'a stark reminder member of the PNTL fleet, it and its of what can be done by the sheer force of predecessors, were designed in the 1970s and the elements upon a ship which, when she have been shown to be susceptible to run away was built, was the last word in strength and 6 corrosion problems which has caused premature power.'" decommissioning of the earlier, older vessels. Concerns about the security of the cargo The Pacific Sandpiper has recently been have also been raised. Cumbrians Opposed to issued with three Statutory Memos demanding a Radioactive Environment (CORE) made the the completion of work related to crew safety, following comment in a press release dated 26 Emergency Towing Procedures, and engine November 2009. room fire extinguishing systems. The available "[T]he industry has confirmed today that evidence implies that this work has not yet been there is no plan to use an armed ship. Of the carried out. three current nuclear ships operated by Pacific During recent Port State Control Inspections Nuclear Transport Ltd (PNTL), the 4000-ton in Europe and Japan, the Pacific Sandpiper has Pacific Sandpiper built in 1985 is the only ship been shown to have a number of deficiencies of the fleet not fitted with the naval canon or including Fire Safety measures. extra accommodation for a security crew that is The Asia Pacific Port State Control Inspection required for ships carrying plutonium or MOX 7 (PSCI) organisation's website currently reports fuel." that the Pacific Sandpiper has a Target Factor of This is astonishing. Unlike MOX shipments, 81 and a High Risk Level."3 HLW shipments do not present a risk of nuclear Independent marine pollution consultant proliferation. However, HLW is extremely Nuke Info Tokyo No. 135 Mar./April 010 3 hazardous and must be properly secured against the need to reprocess overseas, is thirteen years attack by terrorists or pirates. behind schedule and in serious trouble, due to In light of the above concerns, it is major problems with the vitrification facility - the extraordinary that the Panama Canal route facility that is supposed to produce precisely the was chosen. It is not surprising that companies type of HLW canisters that are now being shipped concerned with minimizing costs should choose the from the UK. shortest and fastest route, but it is surprising that For the sake of this fiasco of a policy, the world governments, which presumably have a broader has been forced to endure, and will continue to view, would allow such a hazardous shipment suffer for at least the next ten years, all the risks to follow the route with the maximum potential associated with transporting the abovementioned for accidents and terrorist attacks, as well as the hazardous materials back and forth between Japan maximum potential damage in the event of an and Europe. One would have thought that at accident. apology was in order, but there is little evidence of Unreasonable risks caused by Japan's contrition on the part of the Japanese government failed nuclear fuel cycle and nuclear industry. Shipping Japan's highly radioactive waste around the world imposes grave risks on en- Masako Sawai and Philip White route countries and the marine environment. No environmental assessment of the risks to en-route Notes and References countries was carried out and these countries had 1. Reprocessing separates the spent fuel into no input into the decisions that led to these risks. uranium, plutonium and high-level and other The question arises, why were these risks incurred radioactive waste. The HLW is mixed with glass and in the first place? sealed in stainless steel canisters. These canisters A fundamental assumption of the Japanese are too radioactive for humans to approach, so they government's nuclear energy policy is that have to be handled by remote control. plutonium as an energy resource and using it 2. Figure provided on March 8, 2010 by the to fuel nuclear reactors is an effective way of Federation of Electric Power Companies of addressing Japan's future energy needs. Under Japan in response to an inquiry by CNIC. Figures this policy, reprocessing plants were needed to published in the media were inconsistent because separate plutonium from Japan's spent nuclear a previous estimate of 150 canisters was revised fuel. This plutonium was to be used as fuel for down to 70. Japan's fast breeder reactor program, which in 3.