ANOTHER SAFETY SCANDAL SHAMES EUROPE’S NUCLEAR INDUSTRY

28 January 2001

Paris, France: Europe’s nuclear industry may be on the brink of yet another humiliating crisis, after it was revealed that more substandard shipments of nuclear fuel have been rejected by Japan.

Details on why two shipments of Mixed Oxide fuel (MOX) (1) sent in the last two years by a consortium led by the French state sponsored nuclear company COGEMA are to be returned to France have not been made public yet. However, even before the MOX fuel left France there were doubts over its quality and safety. Greenpeace is today demanding immediate clarification from COGEMA and the French Government over the issue of the defective MOX export.

Two years ago British Nuclear Fuels (BNFL) finally admitted it had falsified safety data on a MOX shipment to Japan. The return of that consignment will cost the company and ultimately British tax payers over 200 million euros in compensation and return costs.

If this most recent French scandal is confirmed, it will be yet another devastating blow to the future of MOX shipments from Europe, as well as the industry in Japan. Late last year, Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry announced that MOX fuel in production at COGEMA’s plant in France was to be scrapped due to non-compliance with new nuclear fuel guidelines.

“For over two years Greenpeace has insisted that COGEMA’s MOX fuel technology is fundamentally flawed and it is highly dangerous to use the fuel in Japanese reactors. If it is now abandoned it will be a complete vindication of those who have consistently challenged COGEMA over its MOX fuel quality and safety,” said Shaun Burnie of Greenpeace International.(2)

Despite claims in Japan that MOX fuel is essential for its energy program, not one gram of plutonium shipped to Japan in the last 17 years has generated any electricity. All of it remains stockpiled at nuclear sites around the country.

Greenpeace believes that plans to ship all the MOX fuel back from Japan are an attempt by the utilities and Japanese Government to start the program over again by trying to remove the clouds of suspicion that have enveloped their plutonium plans for the last three years. However, instead of placating the opposition it will only encourage those seeking to change Japanese energy policy and to abandon its expensive but failed plutonium program.

“COGEMA, and for that matter BNFL, can no longer ignore the fact that their core business makes no economic, environmental or political sense. Instead of concentrating their efforts on shipping plutonium around the world, threatening nations along the entire route, the Japanese government and utilities must change direction and cancel all plans for MOX use,” said Kazue Suzuki of Greenpeace Japan.

Contact:

Shaun Burnie – Greenpeace International - +44 1557 814 288

Kazue Suzuki – Greenpeace Japan - +81 90 2249 1502

Yannick Rousselet – Greenpeace France ++ 33 (0) 6850 6559

Mhairi Dunlop – Greenpeace International Nuclear Campaign Media Officer - +31 20 523 6608

Video and photographs of the sea shipments, Greenpeace protests and local Japanese opposition are available from Greenpeace Communications

John Novis – Picture Editor - +31 (0) 653 819121

Lucy Clayton – Assistant Video Producer - +31 (0) 20 5249 509

Notes: Background briefings on COGEMA and BNFL shipments to Japan and plutonium MOX fuel are available a http://archive.greenpeace.org/nuclear/transport/mox00/documents.html

(1) – In 1999, a shipment of 32 assemblies of MOX fuel consisting of approximately, 225kg of plutonium plus several tons of uranium, were shipped on the UK-flagged vessel, Pacific Teal from Cherbourg to the nuclear power plant, Fukushima-1-3 operated by Tokyo Electric on the Pacific east coast of Japan. The Pacific Teal was accompanied by the Pacific Pintail with its cargo of 8 MOX assemblies, with 255kg of plutonium, produced by British Nuclear Fuels. This MOX was delivered to the Takahama-4 reactor operated by Kansai Electric in Fukui Prefecture, on the Sea of Japan coast. Greenpeace along with Green Action Japan and Mihama-no Kai charged BNFL of falsifying QC data for the Takahama fuel. Despite denials for three months, BNFL and Kansai Electric finally admitted that the fuel was falsified.

In 2001, a second shipment of Cogema/Belgonucleaire MOX was delivered to the Japanese reactor, Kashiwazaki-kariwa-3, operated by Tokyo Electric in Niigata Prefecture on the Sea of Japan coast. The MOX fuel contained approximately 220kg of plutonium.

2 - In August 2000 a legal challenge in Japan was mounted by citizens and NGO’s, including Greenpeace, against plans to load Belgonucleaire/Cogema MOX fuel in the Fukushima power plant. In an unprecedented case lasting 7 months, it was charged that vital Quality Control data had been manipulated, that European MOX fuel production standards were fundamentally flawed, and that its use in Japanese reactors would risk catastrophic accident. The Fukushima District Court did not support the NGO’s claims, but supported their demand for the release of all quality control data by COMMOX. Cogema and Belgonucleaire have failed to comply with the Courts request and the data has never been released.

Both the Fukushima MOX and the Kashiwazaki MOX provoked strong local opposition. Following the court case in Fukushima, the Governor of the Prefecture announced that the fuel would not be loaded pending an overall review of Japanese energy policy including MOX fuel use which he would oversee. That review is still on-going, and the MOX remains unused, nearly 2 ˝ years after delivery. In Kariwa village, next to the Kashiwazaki reactor, prompted by evidence of safety problems with the MOX fuel, a local referendum was held in late March 2001. By a majority it was voted to oppose the loading of the MOX fuel.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT:

Contact:

Shaun Burnie – Greenpeace International - +44 1557 814 288

Kazue Suzuki – Greenpeace Japan - +81 90 2249 1502

Yannick Rousselet – Greenpeace France ++ 33 (0) 6850 6559

Mhairi Dunlop – Greenpeace International Nuclear Campaign Media Officer
- +31 20 523 6608

Video and photographs of the sea shipments, Greenpeace protests and local Japanese
opposition are available from Greenpeace Communications

John Novis – Picture Editor - +31 (0) 653 819121

Lucy Clayton – Assistant Video Producer - +31 (0) 20 5249 509

Notes: Background briefings on COGEMA and BNFL shipments to Japan and plutonium MOX fuel are available a http://archive.greenpeace.org/nuclear/transport/mox00/documents.html

(1) – In 1999, a shipment of 32 assemblies of MOX fuel consisting of approximately, 225kg of plutonium plus several tons of uranium, were shipped on the UK-flagged vessel, Pacific Teal from Cherbourg to the nuclear power plant, Fukushima-1-3 operated by Tokyo Electric on the Pacific east coast of Japan. The Pacific Teal was accompanied by the Pacific Pintail with its cargo of 8 MOX assemblies, with 255kg of plutonium, produced by British Nuclear Fuels. This MOX was delivered to the Takahama-4 reactor operated by Kansai Electric in Fukui Prefecture, on the Sea of Japan coast. Greenpeace along with Green Action Japan and Mihama-no Kai charged BNFL of falsifying QC data for the Takahama fuel. Despite denials for three months, BNFL and Kansai Electric finally admitted that the fuel was falsified.

In 2001, a second shipment of Cogema/Belgonucleaire MOX was delivered to the Japanese reactor, Kashiwazaki-kariwa-3, operated by Tokyo Electric in Niigata Prefecture on the Sea of Japan coast. The MOX fuel contained approximately 220kg of plutonium.

2 - In August 2000 a legal challenge in Japan was mounted by citizens and NGO’s, including Greenpeace, against plans to load Belgonucleaire/Cogema MOX fuel in the Fukushima power plant. In an unprecedented case lasting 7 months, it was charged that vital Quality Control data had been manipulated, that European MOX fuel production standards were fundamentally flawed, and that its use in Japanese reactors would risk catastrophic accident. The Fukushima District Court did not support the NGO’s claims, but supported their demand for the release of all quality control data by COMMOX. Cogema and Belgonucleaire have failed to comply with the Courts request and the data has never been released.

Both the Fukushima MOX and the Kashiwazaki MOX provoked strong local opposition. Following the court case in Fukushima, the Governor of the Prefecture announced that the fuel would not be loaded pending an overall review of Japanese energy policy including MOX fuel use which he would oversee. That review is still on-going, and the MOX remains unused, nearly 2 ˝ years after delivery. In Kariwa village, next to the Kashiwazaki reactor, prompted by evidence of safety problems with the MOX fuel, a local referendum was held in late March 2001. By a majority it was voted to oppose the loading of the MOX fuel.