BNFL PLUTONIUM FUEL SCANDAL EXTENDS TO SWITZERLAND
Swiss Safety Authorities Confirm to Greenpeace that Damaged Fuel was Rejected

23 December 1999

AMSTERDAM -- The plutonium nuclear fuel scandal that destroyed British Nuclear Fuel's (BNFL) plutonium business in Japan in recent months also extends to fuel used in a Swiss reactor in 1996, Greenpeace has discovered. Swiss authorities revealed to Greenpeace that the BNFL plutonium fuel used in the Beznau power plant in northern Switzerland, and operated by the NOK utility, was removed in 1997 when it was found to be damaged and leaking radiation after only one year.

Greenpeace was informed by the Swiss Federal Nuclear Safety Inspectorate (HSK) on December 21st 1999, that three damaged plutonium Mixed Oxide Fuel (MOX) fuel assemblies were found and removed during a regular inspection by the operator. Nine other BNFL MOX assemblies were also removed from the reactor, two years earlier than planned.

Plutonium fuel use in nuclear reactors is a major safety concern as its use increases the risk of serious accidents with devastating consequences such as the Chernobyl disaster. Greenpeace understands that after the fuel was removed the damaged assemblies were returned to BNFL’s Sellafield site in the north of England. According to the Swiss safety authorities, BNFL confirmed that the problem in one assembly was caused by a manufacturing error. However, they were unable to confirm the source of the problem in the other two failed assemblies.

"BNFL has been exposed once again as producing poor quality and dangerous nuclear fuel, despite their insistence that their fuel is safe and that even the falsified fuel poses no risks. All MOX production data should now be disclosed by BNFL, the UK government safety inspectorate, as well as the data held in Switzerland. There are clearly no limits to the extent of BNFL mismanagement when plutonium is involved. All plutonium MOX fuel production should be cancelled," said Greenpeace International campaigner Shaun Burnie.

The revelation that BNFL plutonium fuel has already suffered a serious failure risking nuclear reactor safety is a further devastating blow to the plutonium company’s future business. On December 16th1999, one of BNFL’s main customers, Kansai Electric of Japan, announced it was abandoning plans to load MOX fuel shipped from Sellafield after it confirmed that quality control data for the fuel had been falsified. Since September 1999(1), when BNFL’s falsification scandal first began the Japanese government, Kansai and BNFL consistently denied that fuel due to arrive in Japan was affected. After a legal case brought by Japanese anti-nuclear groups, Green Action and No Mihama, threatened to expose BNFL’s on-going deception, the companies were forced to admit that they had falsified the plutonium fuel data.

The scandal has sent shock waves through the nuclear industry in Japan, leading its Industry Minister to state that BNFL’s credibility has been ruined, and announcing the suspension of any further plutonium fuel shipments from Sellafield(2). The UK Government, which owns BNFL, was forced to officially apologize to Japan earlier this week.

Switzerland, along with Japan and Germany, are the most important potential clients for BNFL’s new and as yet unopened Sellafield MOX plant, which cost approximately 500 million US$ to build. Yet the plants order book shows that less than seven per cent of its business is currently contracted. Not only is BNFL unlikely to secure large Japanese MOX contracts, but serious doubts exist over future Swiss business. The UK Government is supposed to make a final decision to allow the opening of the new MOX plant early in 2000.

"BNFL has stated repeatedly that plutonium fuel supplied by the company to Switzerland and other European clients has performed safely, yet over two years ago one of the reactors using BNFL fuel suffered fuel failure. BNFL's plutonium fuel makes unsafe reactors even less safe with potentially devastating consequences. Swiss utilities must reject any further supplies of BNFL's dangerous plutonium fuel," said Stefan Fueglister of Greenpeace Switzerland.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT:
- Shaun Burnie - Greenpeace International - 00 31 621 296 913 (mobile).

- Stefan Fueglister - Greenpeace Switzerland - 00 41 1447 4124

- Simon Boxer – Greenpeace International – 00 31 20 523 6634

2 - see, Trade and Industry Minister Takashi Fukaya statement issued Thursday December 16th 1999.