Difference between revisions of "British Nuclear Group"

From Powerbase
Jump to: navigation, search
(Background)
m (Sellafield)
 
(29 intermediate revisions by 6 users not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
 +
{{Template:NuclearSpin}}
 
==Background==
 
==Background==
  
Formerly known as the British Nuclear Fuels Limited.
+
British Nuclear Group (BNG) was a major subsidiary of [[BNFL]], a nuclear energy and fuels company owned by the UK Government until 2009.  It specialised in the management and clean-up of nuclear sites. It employed some 14,000 people and was responsible for plants in the UK, Bulgaria, Italy, Russia, Sweden and the US - including the controversial Sellafield site in northern England. <ref>[http://www.britishnucleargroup.com/section.php?pageID=21 BNG website: About us] and [http://www.britishnucleargroup.com/section.php?pageID=186 BNG website: Operations portfolio], undated, accessed February, 2006.</ref>
  
[[Richard Nathan]] - Energy Unit at BNFL
+
==Sellafield==
 +
Sellafield is a two square mile site on the West Cumbrian coast just north of the village of Seascale. British Nuclear Group (BNG) said it &#39;represents the most challenging nuclear site management programme in the world&#39;. <ref>[http://www.britishnucleargroup.com/content.php?pageID=274 BNG website: Sellafield] , undated, accessed February, 2006.</ref>
  
Director of Group Corporate Affairs at BNFL [[Philip Dewhurst]] was [[Weber Shandwick Worldwide]] UK chief executive
+
It has been owned by the [[Nuclear Decommissioning Authority]] (NDA) since 2005 but was managed by BNG and then [[Sellafield Ltd]]. In 2008 the NDA contracted the management of Sellafield Ltd to the private [[Nuclear Management Partners]] consortium. 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. <ref>[http://www.britishnucleargroup.com/content.php?pageID=274 BNG website: Sellafield] , undated, accessed February, 2006.</ref>
  
==Sell Off==
+
==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. <ref>[http://www.britishnucleargroup.com/content.php?pageID=31&nID=744 BNG latest news: &#39;Thorp Feed Clarification Cell - Latest Update&#39;], 10 February, 2006.</ref> <ref>Paul Brown, [http://www.guardian.co.uk/nuclear/article/0,,1529690,00.html &#39;Sellafield staff ignored 100 warnings about leak&#39;], ''The Guardian'', 16 July, 2005.</ref>
  
In February 2006, BNFL sold its US nuclear clean-up division, BNG America, for £51m ($91m) to the Utah-based company Energy Solutions.
+
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". <ref>[http://europa.eu.int/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/06/171&format=HTML&aged=0&language=EN&guiLanguage=en European Commission Press Release: 'European Commission issues nuclear safeguard obligations warning to British Nuclear Group Sellafield'], 15 February, 2006.</ref>
  
The deal quickly followed BNFL's sale of its U.S. power plant arm Westinghouse to the Japanese electronic giant Toshiba for the sum of $5.4bn (£3.1bn). Westinghouse controls Britain's only nuclear fuel manufacturing site, Springfield Fuels. [http://business.guardian.co.uk/story/0,,1703700,00.html]
+
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. <ref>Paul Brown and Jonathan Watts, [http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,,271468,00.html &#39;Japan launches inquiry into BNFL&#39;], ''The Guardian'', 15 September, 1999.</ref>
  
BNFL's ultimate plan is said to include selling off the British Nuclear Group, leaving it with a stake in the uranium-enrichment firm Urenco and research firm Nexia Solutions. A decision will be taken at the end of March by Ministers.
+
The government&#39;s Committee on Medical Aspects of Radiation in the Environment has consistently denied any link between Sellafield and a nearby cluster of childhood leukaemia. <ref>Michael Meacher, [http://society.guardian.co.uk/societyguardian/story/0,,1698832,00.html "Returning to nuclear power could prove a deadly U-turn"], ''The Guardian'', 1 February, 2006.</ref>
[http://today.reuters.co.uk/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=businessNews&storyID=2006-02-03T091421Z_01_L03691170_RTRUKOC_0_UK-ENERGY-BNFL.xml]
 
[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/4676466.stm]
 
  
==Closing Down the Debate==
+
== Paving the Way to Privatisation With a £5 Billion "Sweetener"==
  
Documents obtained under the Freedom of Information Act show that BNFL "wants to restrict the scope of local planning inquiries", according to ''The Guardian'' newspaper. Issues such as safety, security and environmental impact would not be discussed at public inquiries, as happens now, but behind closed doors.
+
In April 2006, Labour prime minister Tony 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.  
  
The documemts show that BNFL believes the only way to guarantee that new power stations open on schedule is to fast-track the planning process by pre-licensing reactors before sites are selected. "Investment in this phase has immense leverage over subsequent phases" say the documents. "For example, it should enable a public inquiry to be assured that all safety and environmental issues have been satisfactorily addressed, enabling it to focus on local issues." [http://www.guardian.co.uk/nuclear/article/0,,1691749,00.html]
+
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". <ref>David Gow, [http://business.guardian.co.uk/story/0,,1746946,00.html "EC Paves Way for UK Nuclear Privatisation"], ''The Guardian'', 5 April, 2006.</ref>
  
==PR and lobbying firms==
+
The EC's decision was announced just days after the British government admitted it had given BNFL a £5 "sweetener" to manage and clean up the Sellafield site for another five years as part of plans to sell it off. <ref>Terry Macalister, [http://business.guardian.co.uk/story/0,,1743462,00.html "BNG Given £5bn Sweetener to Help Sale,"], ''The Guardian'', 31 March, 2006.</ref>
  
*[[Finsbury]]
+
==Who ran British Nuclear Group?==
*[[Fells Associates]]
+
BNG&#39;s website listed the company&#39;s senior executives: <ref>[http://www.britishnucleargroup.com/content.php?pageID=164 BNG website: &#39;Meet our leaders&#39;], undated, accessed February, 2006.</ref>
  
==Pro-Nuke Media Training==
+
* [[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
  
In June
+
==UK sites==
Belinda
+
It also provides a list of all sites where BNFL operates: <ref>[http://www.britishnucleargroup.com/content.php?pageID=209 BNG website: UK locations], undated, accessed February, 2006.</ref>
 +
 
 +
* 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)
 +
 
 +
==Notes==
 +
<references/>
 +
 
 +
[[Category:Nuclear Spin]]
 +
[[Category:Civil nuclear industry]]

Latest revision as of 01:13, 5 September 2012

Nuclear spin.png This article is part of the Nuclear Spin project of Spinwatch.

Background

British Nuclear Group (BNG) was a major subsidiary of BNFL, a nuclear energy and fuels company owned by the UK Government until 2009. It specialised in the management and clean-up of nuclear sites. It employed some 14,000 people and was responsible for plants in the UK, Bulgaria, Italy, Russia, Sweden and the US - including the controversial 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. British Nuclear Group (BNG) said it 'represents the most challenging nuclear site management programme in the world'. [2]

It has been owned by the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) since 2005 but was managed by BNG and then Sellafield Ltd. In 2008 the NDA contracted the management of Sellafield Ltd to the private Nuclear Management Partners consortium. 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 With a £5 Billion "Sweetener"

In April 2006, Labour prime minister Tony 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]

The EC's decision was announced just days after the British government admitted it had given BNFL a £5 "sweetener" to manage and clean up the Sellafield site for another five years as part of plans to sell it off. [10]

Who ran British Nuclear Group?

BNG's website listed the company's senior executives: [11]

UK sites

It also provides a list of all sites where BNFL operates: [12]

  • 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)

Notes

  1. BNG website: About us and BNG website: Operations portfolio, undated, accessed February, 2006.
  2. BNG website: Sellafield , undated, accessed February, 2006.
  3. BNG website: Sellafield , undated, accessed February, 2006.
  4. BNG latest news: 'Thorp Feed Clarification Cell - Latest Update', 10 February, 2006.
  5. Paul Brown, 'Sellafield staff ignored 100 warnings about leak', The Guardian, 16 July, 2005.
  6. European Commission Press Release: 'European Commission issues nuclear safeguard obligations warning to British Nuclear Group Sellafield', 15 February, 2006.
  7. Paul Brown and Jonathan Watts, 'Japan launches inquiry into BNFL', The Guardian, 15 September, 1999.
  8. Michael Meacher, "Returning to nuclear power could prove a deadly U-turn", The Guardian, 1 February, 2006.
  9. David Gow, "EC Paves Way for UK Nuclear Privatisation", The Guardian, 5 April, 2006.
  10. Terry Macalister, "BNG Given £5bn Sweetener to Help Sale,", The Guardian, 31 March, 2006.
  11. BNG website: 'Meet our leaders', undated, accessed February, 2006.
  12. BNG website: UK locations, undated, accessed February, 2006.