News Archive – December 2005

Torness Alert

Emergency services were called to Torness nuclear power station on the night of 22nd December 2005. The alarm was raised when staff disposing of spent fuel noticed "anomalous behaviour" of the irradiated substances. Police and Lothian and Borders Fire Brigade were called in.

This was the first full-scale emergency incident at the Torness since the the station opened 17 years ago.

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Keep Wales Nuclear Free

With news of a secret plan for a new nuclear station on Anglesey, Pembrokeshire Friends of the Earth have launched a timely campaign to "Keep Wales Nuclear Free".

The secret plan for a new nuclear power station in Wales has been hatched in Westminster, according to the Western Mail. It said the Department of Trade and Industry privately wants a new nuclear power station to be built on Anglesey. The official line is that Britain's future energy requirements are merely under review, and no decisions have been taken.

Western Mail 30th December 2005

The "Keep Wales Nuclear-Free" petition has been launched by Pembrokeshire Friends of the Earth, who aim to collect several thousand signatures from across Wales and beyond by the end of January 2006. The petition will be delivered in February to Tony Blair. The group's waste officer Liane Duxbury said: "The way out of this energy crisis hole is not through digging deeper. We are writing to Tony Blair to explain this, as he doesn't appear to get it. Meanwhile the public can let the Prime Minister know they oppose the commissioning of any new nuclear power stations in Wales by signing the petition."

The petition is available at http://www.pembsfoe.org.uk. The group also want people to write to Blair. Sample letter available at http://www.pembsfoe.org.uk/Arm/armchair-2005.php#dec14.

 

Torness could get life extension and a second nuclear plant

Torness nuclear power station near Edinburgh, described as a £2.5 billion mistake in 1989 by government sources shortly after it was opened by Margaret Thatcher, could have its life extended.

The nuclear power plant is currently expected to close in 2023, but owner British Energy is confident that updating vital equipment can extend Torness' operating life. Robert Gunn, Torness' system health manager, says he is confident that replacing parts of the power plant would see it running beyond 2023. "There's no hard line to say we can't go beyond say 2040 or whatever date we pick as long as we, and the regulators, are happy we've addressed all the safety issues.

Edinburgh Evening News 8 December 2005