Sellafield accident 'would be 'catastrophe'

An accident at Sellafield’s MOX plant could have a catastrophic effect, the Government claimed today at a tribunal in The Hague.

On the opening day of a case against the British government, it was claimed the danger posed to the Irish public by the Cumbrian plant had never been properly assessed.

The claims came in a bid by Ireland to gain full disclosure of two key reports commissioned by the British Government on the economic and environmental aspects of the plant.

Ireland is arguing for access to additional information which it claims was withheld from the reports, prepared before the British authorities approved the plant for reprocessing mixed oxide fuel (MOX) from nuclear reactors.

Ireland's case before the Ospar Convention’s arbitration tribunal is being headed by Attorney General Rory Brady and is expected to last a week.

A spokesman for Environment Minister Martin Cullen said parts of both reports were “blacked out” and that the Irish Government only saw a percentage of information.

He described it as a “landmark case“, and the most senior legal case the Irish Government had ever taken.

Mr Cullen today described the case as a “defining moment” and said it was a “very very significant day“.

“This has never happened before and, particularly under this convention, a case like this has never been taken,” he said.

Speaking on Irish radio, he said there was much interest in the case from an international perspective as well as from Ireland.

“Clearly, the environmental report and the economic report are crucial and the sort of information that is contained in those will help us to form a judgment,” he said.

“We have not been able to get our hands on the totality of those reports despite repeated requests as a government to do so.

“We believe it is vital in Ireland we have the full facts because we don’t believe that on environmental grounds, or indeed on economic grounds, that this plant is viable.”

He said that Ireland was not alone in its concerns over the potential damage to the Irish Sea and to the environment in general, and he also questioned the viability of the MOX industry and whether it had a future.

Hearings are expected to last around a week although a final decision is not expected for some months, Mr Cullen’s spokesman said.