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Nuclear Transparency Watch

Prevent and anticipate through transparency and participation

Press coverage

NTW represented in the local public debate on hosting nuclear waste in UK

On February 4, 2025, members of the West Cumbria Sites Stakeholder Group (WCSSG) were informed about updates on the Geological Disposal Facility (GDF) notably by Nuclear Waste Services (NWS) represented by its Chief Operation Officer, Martin Walkingshaw.

In fact, at the moment 2 sites in South and Mid-Copeland are short-listed with another one in Lincolnshire – if you want more information about the UK situation regarding the site selection process for Radioactive Waste Management (RWM) you can look at the article of Colin Wales (NTW) in the following report from the European Research Programme on RWM EURAD:

https://www.ejp-eurad.eu/publications/eurad-deliverable-d917-routes-implementation-routes-ics-action-plan-second-phase

In the local newspaper “News & Star”, Ian Duncan, Local Democracy Reporter there, explains that a report states

it could take between 10 to 15 years to identify a suitable site and an additional 150 years or more to build, operate and eventually close the facility.

Article: https://www.newsandstar.co.uk/news/24913351.cumbrian-communities-hear-hosting-nuclear-waste/ 

The article also mentions the intervention of Tim Knowles, a member from Nuclear Transparency Watch, who “raised the subject of community benefits and the principle of the fact that the “polluter pays”” during the debate. It was answered that the “actual figures were likely to be substantial and in the region of £100s of millions”.

The article also says that the hazardous radioactive waste currently stored above ground in over 20 sites across UK and that the site selection process for an adequate GDF was described as a mariage – aimed to be “celebrated” between the late 2030s and early 2040s – but participants were also concerned about the possibility to divorce.

An NWS spokesman explained: “The emerging information is helping us to identify locations that we can investigate further, for example by drilling deep boreholes, so that we can understand the geology and help make sure a GDF can be constructed, operated, and closed safely and securely.”

NTW members in UK, notably the civil society expert Tim Knowles and the NGO Cumbria Trust will continue to actively participate to the process of site selection to make sure it complies with the Aarhus Convention.

Heated fusion of the nuclear energy governance model in France

Some background

In 🗓 February 2023, the French government announced its intention to merge IRSN, the nuclear expert body 🔬☢️ with ASN, the regulator authority, foreseeing with this the end of the dual model for the nuclear energy safety governance in France 🇫🇷.

This came as a shock since this model was praised internationally, especially after the Fukushima disaster 🗾🌊☢️, as a better model to be followed. Even more surprising for the barely 3000 employees concerned, this decision came without any previous notice or concertation of the institutional bodies constituting the very core of the safety governance model in France 🇫🇷.

Despite no impact assessment and a trans-partisan opposition coming from many elected official and nuclear experts 👩🏽‍🔬☢️, warning about the possible risks linked to such a disruption, the text was put to the vote at the French National Assembly 🇫🇷. Anyhow, after being ❌rejected a first time in 2023, the proposal, included in the nuclear acceleration law 📄☢️, was then ✅approved when presented a second time on 🗓 Tuesday 19 March 2024, with only 260 votes in favor and 259 votes against…

Enacted the following month in May 2024, this law led to the creation of a new entity called ASNR meant to start operating for 🗓 the 1st of January 2025 leaving only 7 months⏱ for both ASN and IRSN to organize themselves.

Nuclear Transparency Watch (NTW) involvement

In this context, NTW reacted immediately after the decision was made public, raising concerns on the outcomes for the safety of such a decision in an open letter to the then French Minister of Energy Transition co-signed by 11 other NGOs and 22 Members of the European Parliament 🇪🇺.

NTW was also invited to be heard by the for a consultation of the OPECST in June 2023, and by French Deputies, in 2023, and French Senators, in 2024, to give its opinion on the consequences of the foreseen fusion of ASN and IRSN. Its position on this issue revolved around the following four points that underlined the importance of preserving the qualities of the current French system 🇫🇷:

  • The exemplary nature of the French control system, recognized as a model at European level and the importance of strictly independent expert assessment institutions,

  • The ability of the French control and expertise system to maintain a link between and expertise, as well as a pluralism of expertise that guarantees the quality of quality,

  • Maintaining a high level of commitment to exchanges and research conducted at European level on the various technical and socio-technical issues related the nuclear sector,

  • Maintaining the development of a shared safety culture and openness to civil society in the spirit of the Aarhus Convention.

Also, the first open letter being left without response, NTW sent another open letter in March 2024 to the new Minister in charge who answered in 🗓 June 2024 with a letter (part 1 and part 2) ensuring that the new entity would be as transparent, as safe and as open to the civil society as what was functioning in the previous dual system.

However, even before the operation of the new ASNR, a major conflict of interest risk is pointed out by several NGOs ⚠️🧐 as the current Director General of the French National Agency for the Management of Radioactive Waste (ANDRA)🛢☢️ is foreseen by Emmanuel Macron to lead the future nuclear safety authority where he will have to give its opinion on the industrial geological repository for high-level and intermediate-level long-lived waste (Cigéo) he developed over ten years…

WEBINAR – ANCCLI’s position regarding IRSN dismantling project by the French government

Today, Monday 13 March is an important date in the evolution of the IRSN dismantling project decided by the French government early February, in fact IRSN more united than ever is demonstrating again today against this decision considered rushed and unjustified.

… [Read More]

UNITED KINGDOM: letter from NTW’s member published in Cumbrian newspaper

Here is the letter including reference to new UK legislation, published in Cumbrian newspapers by NTW member Tim Knowles the 19 February 2023:

“Sir,

As predicted the investment bonanzas forecast by our politicians over the last decade have failed to materialise. Moorside, the National Grid upgrade, new high quality roads, rail improvements etc etc have proved to be hot air. Yes there are a few “town deals”, but these don’t start to replace the money cut from Cumbrian council budgets during the period. … [Read More]

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