Nearly 1,000 signatures gathered against Japan waste facility

Summarised from Cumberland News's report · Updated 5 Nov, 23:09 · Archive

Campaigners have gathered almost 1,000 signatures opposing plans to reprocess sodium coolant from Japan's Monju reactor at Workington port.

Anti-radiation campaigners in Cumbria have gathered almost 1,000 signatures opposing plans to process sodium coolant at the Port of Workington. The material is being extracted from Japan's prototype Monju Fast Breeder Reactor as part of a UK and Japanese decommissioning project. Japan's Atomic Energy Agency developed the reactor to generate electricity whilst producing useable nuclear fuel, but it suffered sodium coolant leaks, equipment failures and regulatory issues.

Radiation Free Lakeland, which organised the campaign, held a demonstration in Workington town centre on 30 October to gather support for the petition. The campaigning group is calling on Cumberland Council, which owns the port and will decide on planning permission, to halt the plans. Campaigners have raised concerns about the council celebrating the facility as an economic opportunity whilst also being the landlord responsible for the planning decision. A Cumberland Council spokesperson said the Port of Workington is a key strategic asset with significant potential for economic growth.

Read the report

• Nearly 1,000 signatures against Japan waste chemical processing facilityRadiation Free Lakeland gathers 1,000 signatures against Cumberland Council plans to reprocess sodium coolant from Japan’s Monju reactor at Workington port.Cumberland News · 5 Nov, 07:00

In this story: Radiation Free Lakeland · Cumberland Council · Port of Workington · Workington · Japan Atomic Energy Agency · Japan · Monju Fast Breeder Reactor

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