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Japanese Say NO to UK Nuclear Fuel
16 December 1999
Reacting to the news that Japanese Kansai Electric Power Company will not use the Mixed Oxide(MOX)fuel supplied by British Nuclear Fuels Ltd (BNFL), Dr Patrick Green, Senior Nuclear Campaigner said:
“If the Japanese don't want MOX, it really is the death knell for BNFL's new MOX manufacturing plant. This cancellation proves that FOE's economic analysis is right - if the Government gives this plant the go-ahead, the taxpayer will lose out for yet another nuclear white elephant . The Government must now refuse BNFL permission to open the new plant . Failure to do so would be unlawful and risks a legal challenge from FOE.”
On 17th November, FOE wrote to John Prescott, Secretary of State for the Environment, stating that BNFL would be unable to get sufficient contracts for its new MOX plant. The fuel that Kansai is now refusing to use was made in BNFL's pilot MOX plant. This further evidence that BNFL will not get contracts for its new plant, confirms FOE's case that the MOX plant is most likely to make a significant financial loss, failing to make sufficient money to pay for its operating and decommissioning costs. FOE'S economic analysis was submitted to the Government during the 3rd public consultation on the justification for the MOX plant in July.
On 18th November, FOE sent a legal opinion to John Prescott warning that the Government risks a High Court challenge if it failed to account for the differences between FOE's economic analysis and the secret analysis commissioned by the Environment Agency which confidently predicted that the MOX plant would make a profit.
On 9 December DETR replied requesting further information in support of FOE's economic analysis.
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Published by Friends of the Earth Trust
Last modified: Jul 2008
