THORP - still time to stop it

British Nuclear Fuels (BNFL) applied for a revised site discharge authorisation in April 1992. It will apply to all discharges from existing Magnox reprocessing, and from new plants such as EARP (The Enhanced Actinide Removal Plant) and THORP (Thermal Oxide Reprocessing Plant). BNFL's application will be considered by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Pollution (HMIP) and the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAFF). As part of the reauthorisation process BNFL has to demonstrate that it has complied with the Government's policy on radioactive waste management. The cornerstone of this policy is that any practice producing radioactive waste must be justified. This means that ''the need for the practice must be established in terms of its overall benefit''. However reprocessing is not justified. Consequently, any level of additional radiation exposure from future discharges cannot be considered acceptable. HMIP should refuse to grant a new authorisation for the site. (author)