91997E4120

WRITTEN QUESTION E-4120/97 by Patricia McKenna (V) to the Commission (16 January 1998)

Subject: Unregulated dumping of nuclear waste at Dounreay, Scotland

AEA Technology, the British company which runs the Dounreay nuclear complex in Scotland, recently admitted that a massive operation needs to be undertaken to clean up a radioactive dump beside the site. Over 1 000 tonnes of radioactive waste are reported to have been dumped in a shaft burrowed into nearby cliffs.

The dumping appears to have been undertaken in a haphazard and largely uncontrolled way. No comprehensive records were kept of the substances dumped there, and, although dumping began there in 1959, details of the dump did not emerge for a further 20 years. The plant's managers also concealed a 1977 explosion at the shaft, which is believed to have been at least partially responsible for the hundreds of 'hot spots' later detected on surrounding beaches.

Has the Commission made any contact with the British authorities about this dump? If so, can it give details of any such contacts?

Does the Commission plan to monitor and supervise the drafting and implementation of a clean-up programme for the dump? Has the Commission any preferences for how the waste in the dump should be dealt with?

Answer given by Mrs Bjerregaard on behalf of the Commission (13 February 1998)

Representatives of the Commission met with senior members of the United Kingdom atomic energy authority (UKAEA) during the first half of 1997. The subject of the intermediate-level waste shaft was discussed during that meeting. Since then, additional information has been requested from the British authorities concerning the plans for the removal, processing and storage of the wastes from the shaft including assessments of the actual and potential environmental effects of these wastes. As regards hot spots only two such particles have been identified on beaches to which the public has access.

The Commission does not have any specific preferences for how the waste should be dealt with nor does it expect to be involved in the supervision and implementation of a clean-up programme. However, depending on the process selected, a submission may be necessary under the terms of Article 37 of the Euratom Treaty and an environmental assessment may be required for any new facility in which to store the waste (Directive 85/337/EEC as amended by Directive 97/11/EC on the assessment of the effects of certain public and private projects on the environment ((OJ L 73, 14.3.1997. ))).