THE Celtic League has raised new fears about safety problems at Sellafield as the UK's plans for new nuclear installations on the North Irish Sea coastline are unveiled.
Recent incidents at the Cumbrian nuclear plant are revealed in the latest report from the Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Nuclear Installations.
>> Renewed calls for closure of Sellafield power station03 November 2009Although minor in nature, the incidents point to 'continuing underlying safety issues', according to the Celtic League.
The Nuclear Installations Inspectorate is investigating a radioactive leak at Sellafield's plant B212 this summer in which one person received contamination to his clothing. Initial indications suggest the contamination was linked to the plant's ventilation system.
Earlier this year there were two other incidents, one involving contamination on redundant ductwork at one plant and the other involving an operator engaged in decommissioning work who wounded his thumb while using an angle grinder on equipment heavily contaminated with plutonium.
Britain's new nuclear plans have fuelled renewed Isle of Man calls for the closure of the Sellafield plant.
A huge expansion of nuclear power was announced by the UK Government earlier this month as it named 10 proposed sites alongside planning reforms to fast track the new plants.
Three of the new sites are on the Cumbrian coast at Braystones, Sellafield and Kirksanton while a fourth will see a replacement nuclear plant being built at Heysham, Lancashire, one of the main English ports used by Isle of Man Steam Packet ferry services.
The Manx Government is committed to campaigning for the complete closure of the Sellafield nuclear reprocessing plant, insisting it poses an inherent danger to the people and the environment of the Isle of Man.
WHAT DO YOU THINK?Send your comments to newsviews@newsiom.co.imYOUR COMMENTSAs I understand it, Sellafield and all other UK nuclear intsallations, provide no benefit whatsoever to IOM. They only provide a real risk to our health and safety. At the same time the UK has unilaterally withdrawn its reciprocal health arrangement with IOM. We should definitely push to close UK nuclear intstallations as soon as possible and in a safe manner.
RON,DouglasUnfortunately Ron, the U.K. Government are struggling to meet their own targets for the reduction in CO2 emissions and it looks likely that more Nuclear Powers stations are due to be built and brought on-line over the next few years, rather than closed down. With our insatiable appetite for power, and lack of developed "alternative" power sources that could meet this demand, the U.K. Government has limited options to meet both demand and reduction in emissions and nuclear power is the only truly "green" alternative at present. I seriously doubt that if representations from the Irish government, the Scottish and Welsh Assemblies to the U.K. government over this issue have fallen on deaf ears (for the reasons stated above) then they are hardly likely to take notice of the Celtic League. As we have seen with the U.K. Government's stance on most things at present it's a case of "like it or lump it" which is something we can all relate to here on the island. Yes we should still voice our concerns but I wouldn't be holding out any hope for a reverse in U.K. government policy (even if the Conservatives get in !)
REGRETFUL REALIST, OnchanI understand that Tony Brown's recent spirited defence of Manx interests before the House of Commons Treasury Select Subcommittee has left most members of HM Government quaking in their boots in case he embarks on another tirade akin to the storm and havoc he loosed when the UK sequestered over half a billion pounds of Manx depositors' money. I'm sure that all Tony has to do is merely whisper in another Brown's ear that we are mightily displeased by his future plans for Sellafield and all will be well. We're a nation led by a blind befuddled sheep, taken to the cleaners once again. Dream on, Celtic League. I expect the UK will be reinstating their former plans to store spent nuclear fuel on the Calf before long, and Tony will be promoting this as cheap heating for the folk of Castletown. Probably we'll no longer need to buy Tony's light bulbs once we realize we can read newspapers in the glow.
ANGRY MANXMAN