91997E2560

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2560/97 by Patricia McKenna (V) to the Commission (24 July 1997)

Subject: Euratom payments to the Sellafield nuclear complex, Britain

How much has been paid from Euratom to developments in the Sellafield nuclear complex in Combria, Britain, over the past ten years?

Can the Commission give details of the amount given in each payment and the purposes for which the payments are supposed to be used by the company running Sellafield, British Nuclear Fuels Ltd (BNFL)?

Answer given by Mr de Silguy on behalf of the Commission (15 September 1997)

Euratom extended a loan to British Nuclear Fuels Ltd. A loan agreement for an amount of USD 142 million (then countervalue of GBP 100 million) was concluded on 11-17 December 1986 to finance partially the construction of a thermal oxide reprocessing plan at Sellafield, Cumbria, in supporting the THORP fuel receipt and storage facility in 1987 (the technical description is sent direct to the Honourable Member and to the Parliament's secretariat). The loan was guaranteed by the British government. The total costs of this construction were estimated to amount to GBP 1 550 million, of which EURATOM financed GBP 100 million. The loan was disbursed on 15 January 1987 and repaid in one amount in full on 15 January 1997. Nothing is outstanding from this loan and there are currently no applications for a new loan from Euratom.