A plan by the Sellafield nuclear plant to increase its production of MOX (mixed uranium-plutonium oxide fuel), from up to eight metric tonnes a year to around 120 tonnes next year could lead to "unacceptable" safety risks, the International MOX Assessment report said yesterday. Launched at a press conference in the House of Commons, the IMA report described the use of MOX in the nuclear industry as a "key international concern" and raised fears that the fuel could be used in the manufacture of nuclear weapons, including bombs.
Sellafield's MOX demonstration facility has been in operation for about three years. The MOX is used for fuel in nuclear reactors - mainly for a Swiss company. The root of the controversy surrounding MOX is its classification as a low-dispersible material (LDM). The IMA report suggests that if MOX is classified as an LDM it will be subject to "far less stringent" controls during transportation than if it is converted into fuel pellets.
Rejecting the criticism contained in the report, a BNFL spokesman said last night it had complied with the controls governing the transportation of MOX set by the International Atomic Energy Agency.