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GOVERNMENT HAS NO SOLUTIONS TO NUCLEAR WASTE PROBLEM |
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6th June 2006  Gloucestershire Green party have just made another submission to the Government's consultation about what should be done with our growing nuclear waste problem. They conclude again that this along with other safety and economic arguments mean that new nuclear power stations make no sense.
Martin Whiteside, the Green party's Parliamentary candidate for Stroud, said: "The Government's Committee on Radioactive Waste Management (CORWM), have previously concluded that, 'The UK's nuclear waste problem is not solved' (i). Nothing in their latest report changes this view. We simply cannot ensure a safe, secure and stable repository for our nuclear waste - there is too much we don't know and the risks posed by under-estimation of the problems and on false reliance on untested models could be catastrophic."
Glos Greens have previously consulted with many experts to write a 35-page submission to CoRWM which has been described by other environmentalists as 'one of the best' reports on the issue (ii). They have also sent a representative to the Round Table discussion with CoRWM in Bristol and now have submitted a further 12 page report commenting on CoRWM's initial report (iii).
Martin Whiteside, who is also a District councillor said: "We have already miscalculated nuclear storage with some containers already completely disintegrating. Fortunately those containers have been refurbished, but this experience provides some indication of the difficulty of assuring the lifetime of waste containers for 10,000 years and more deep in the ground where goodness knows what geological changes could take place. Nuclear scientists are even trying to develop warning signs that will last for longer than the English language as it is far from certain that English will be understood in 10,000 years, or that our rather benign pictogram for radiation will denote anything dangerous at all (iv). Basically we just don't know how to store our existing waste safely, never mind creating more.”
Martin Whiteside said: "Most of the CoRWM's report we welcome as they have taken on board many of our concerns. One issue that is dangerously misleading is the use of the term 'disposal' in the report as clearly we are not yet at a point where nuclear waste can be got rid of definitely - unless and until that point is reached the waste will only be stored and managed. At the current time there is no known or proven means of encapsulation, packaging and deposition which allows for nuclear waste to be incarcerated and permanently sealed off."
Martin Whiteside concluded: "This submission only adds to what the Green Party has been saying for years: Nuclear power is unsafe, uneconomic and unsustainable. It is not the answer to climate change as the government suggests, as it only provides 5% of our total energy needs. What is sorely lacking in government is the political will and courage to recognise nuclear power for what it is: a nightmare. The UK is at an energy crossroads. Nuclear is not the way forward. We desperately need to reduce our energy consumption - through energy effciency, and invest in renewable sources of power to create a sustainble supply."
Notes for Editors:
(i) The CoRWM report says:
Paragraph 64 : 'If Ministers accept our recommendations, the UK's nuclear waste problem is not solved. Having a strategy is a start. The real challenge follows.'
Extracts from description of status of the report:
'The Committee is currently completing the third and final phase of its programme: assessing its short-listed options for managing the UK's radioactive waste and recommending the best option or combination to Government. It decided in autumn 2005 to start preparing its final report, beginning with an outline and introductory Chapters, then progressively adding more material, starting with its work to date and ending with its final conclusions and recommendations. This is the current version of the report.'
(ii) The full submission can be downloaded free from the 'Report' section on this website. Jim Duffy, from the Stop Hinkley group, which has campaigned for years against the nuclear reactors in Somerset, said: "This submission is one of the best summaries I have read on this issue and clearly shows the grave problems we have with nuclear waste. We have an onus to face these problems, but this report really confirms the importance of a commitment by the government to stop producing more of this waste."
(iii) The 'Response to the CoRWM Consultation' can be downloaded free from the 'Report' section on this website.
(iv) Read story in The Telegraph 30th May 2006
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