Legal challenge mounted to Sellafield
Environmental groups were today taking the British government to court in a bid to prevent the opening of a controversial nuclear reprocessing plant.
This action is separate from the one threatened by Bertie Ahern, who has urged the British government to abandon the MOX scheme.
Friends of the Earth and Greenpeace were challenging the government’s decision to give the go-ahead to the mixed oxide (MOX) plant at Sellafield in Cumbria.
They believe the plant is dangerous because it could make it easier for terrorists to obtain nuclear materials.
The two groups won the right to a judicial review of the Government’s decision and the case was being heard at the High Court in London today.
They will argue that the new plant is unlawful because the economic benefits of the scheme have been ‘‘distorted’’ and there is insufficient evidence that the plant would attract customers such as the Japanese.
Charles Secrett, director of Friends of the Earth, said: ‘‘The government’s decision to allow the MOX plant to open is dangerous, uneconomic and perverse.
‘‘The decision makes the world an even more dangerous place.
‘‘The plant will struggle to find clients and may never make any money. We will challenge ministers to justify this foolish decision in court.’’
The plant, which turns ‘‘spent’’ plutonium and uranium into usable fuel, was completed by Sellafield’s owners BNFL in 1996 and is expected to open later this month.
