British Nuclear Group

Background

British Nuclear Group, part of BNFL, specialises in the management and clean-up of nuclear sites. It employs some 14,000 people and is responsible for plants in the UK, Bulgaria, Italy, Russia, Sweden and the US - including the notorious Sellafield site in northern England. ^[1]

Sellafield

Sellafield is a two square mile site on the West Cumbrian coast just north of the village of Seascale. BNG says it 'represents the most challenging nuclear site management programme in the world'. ^[2]

It is owned by the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority but managed by British Nuclear Group. The site is home to the Thorp and Magnox reprocessing plants, the Sellafield Mixed Oxide Fuel manufacturing plant and a range of waste management and effluent treatment facilities. More than 200 nuclear facilities are located at Sellafield. ^[3]

Leaks, accidents and incidents

Sellafield has been the site of numerous nuclear leaks, most recently a leak at the Thorpe plant. According to The Guardian, workers ignored more than 100 warnings over six weeks that it had sprung a leak. ^{[4] [5]}

On February 15, 2006, Sellafield was warned by the European Commission that it was in breach of EU rules. It was urged to tighten controls to ensure that nuclear materials "are not diverted from the peaceful uses for which they have been declared." The warning followed EC inspections of Sellafield, which lead inspectors to conclude that "accounting and reporting procedures presently in place do not fully meet Euratom (EU) standards". ^[6]

One of the most notable incidents came in 1999, when BNFL admitted falsifying documents relating to uranium and plutonium mixed-oxide (MOX) fuel destined for Japan. The scandal was a major embarrassment for BNFL. Japan refused to accept a shipment of the fuel that was already en-route, which meant it had to be returned to Sellafield. ^[7]

The government's Committee on Medical Aspects of Radiation in the Environment has consistently denied any link between Sellafield and a nearby cluster of childhood leukaemia. ^[8]

Paving the Way to Privatisation

In April 2006, Blair's plans to build a new generation of nuclear power stations were said to have "received a significant boost" when the European Commission cleared the £15bn transfer of assets and liabilities from the BNFL to the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority.

According to the Guardian: "The controversial decision, which had been delayed three times in recent months because of political sensitivities, helps clear the way for BNFL's £1bn sale of its clean-up business, British Nuclear Group, to private companies within the next 18 months". ^[9]

Who runs British Nuclear Group?

BNG's website lists the company's senior executives: ^[10]

• Lawrie Haynes, CEO
• Brian Tenner, finance director
• Barry Snelson, managing director of Sellafield
• Mark Morant, managing director of reactor sites
• Paul Hamer, managing director of project services
• Philip Strawbridge, managing director of BNG America
• Rob Meakin, human resources director
• Roger Coates, environment health and safety director
• Paul Vallance, communications director

UK sites

It also provides a list of all sites where BNFL operates: ^[11]

• Berkeley (being decommissioned)
• Bradwell (being decommissioned)
• Calder Hall (being decommissioned)
• Capenhurst (being decommissioned)
• Chapelcross (being decommissioned)
• Dungeness A (in operation but due for closure in 2006)
• Hinkley Point A (being decommissioned)
• Hunterston A (being decommissioned)
• Littlebrook (research and test facility in Dartford, Kent)
• Low-level waste repository (UK's national waste repository, at Drigg in Cumbria)
• Oldbury (in operation but due for closure in 2008)
• Sellafield (comprises more than 200 nuclear facilities)
• Sizewell A (in operation but due for closure in 2006)
• Trawsfynydd (being decommissioned)
• Wylfa (in operation but due for closure in 2006)

External links

• ^ BNG website: About us and BNG website: Operations portfolio, undated, accessed February 2006.
• ^ BNG website: Sellafield , undated, accessed February 2006.
• ^ European Commission Press Release: 'European Commission issues nuclear safeguard obligations warning to British Nuclear Group Sellafield', February 15, 2006.
• ^ BNG latest news: 'Thorp Feed Clarification Cell - Latest Update', February 10, 2006.
• ^ BNG website: 'Meet our leaders', undated, accessed February 2006.
• ^ BNG website: UK locations, undated, accessed February 2006.

Articles

• ^ Paul Brown, 'Sellafield staff ignored 100 warnings about leak', The Guardian, July 16, 2005.
• ^ Paul Brown and Jonathan Watts, 'Japan launches inquiry into BNFL', The Guardian, September 15, 1999.
• ^ Michael Meacher, "Returning to nuclear power could prove a deadly U-turn", The Guardian, February 1, 2006.
• ^ David Gow, "EC Paves Way for UK Nuclear Privatisation", The Guardian, April 5, 2006.