Dounreay at the Nordic Council
01 May 1992
At the annual Nordic Council meeting, held in Helsinki, the Norwegian environment minister, Mr Thorbjorn Bernsten, speaking on behalf of the Nordic Ministers, said governments must be "both blind and deaf" if they do not understand Nordic opposition to Dounreay. Mr Bernsten was answering a question from Icelandic MP, Mr Hjorleifur Guttormsson, about a German government working group's discussion on using Dounreay to store and reprocess its research reactor spent fuel. Mr Bernsten said Danish scientists would monitor the matter and contact the German government if a firm proposal is made.
The Nordic Ministers also committed themselves to opposing moves to relax rules on the dumping of radioactive wastes at sea. In answer to a question by Danish MP, Ms Brigitte Husmark, Iceland minister Mr Eidur Gudnason said some countries were opposing tighter rules on radioactive waste dumping at sea in negotiations on a new marine pollution convention to replace the Oslo and Paris Conventions. Mr Gudnason said the Nordic Governments would work for a ban on the dumping of all radioactive wastes.
New Marine Convention
Negotiations for a new Convention, to replace the Oslo and Paris Conventions, which regulate land-based and sea-based sources of marine pollution in the North Sea and North Atlantic, are reaching a crucial final phase. The new Convention is due to be signed in Paris in November. In controlling land-based sources, such as discharges from reprocessing plants, the new Convention require the use of Best Available Technology and Best Environmental Practice "including, where appropriate, Clean Technology" and the application of the Precautionary Principle.
One of the areas of dispute is whether the new Convention includes a ban on dumping low and medium level radioactive wastes. The Nordic countries are committed to banning dumping, as is Germany. The UK and France, however, take a different stand. The UK position is to "keep this option open ... for bulky items arising from decommissioning" where there is no alternative available. The UK also argues dumping has "no significant adverse effect on man or the environment." (Letter to Greenpeace UK from UK Government).
NENIG Briefing no 54, 1992.