The Government’s bid to halt the proposed new nuclear waste reprocessing at Sellafield is to be heard next week.
The action was launched late last month following the British government’s decision to open a MOX (mixed oxide) plant in addition to the existing facility at Sellafield in Cumbria.
On Friday, Mr Joe Jacob, the minister with responsibility for Nuclear Safety at the Department of Public Enterprise, filed an application with the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea in Hamburg for an injunction to stop the operation of the MOX plant.
The application seeks to stop movements of radioactive materials in and around the Irish Sea associated with the operation of the plant. The Government believe the plant will contribute to pollution of the Irish.
The Tribunal today announced the case would be heard on the 19th and 20th of this month.
The hearing will deal with Ireland’s request for a cessation of activities relating to the operation of the plant pending a full hearing.
The proceedings are separate from the arbitration process begun in June under the terms of the OSPAR Convention (the Oslo/Paris accord governing protection of marine environments) seeking information of the MOX facility.
The proposed plant at Sellafied would reprocess weapons-grade plutonium and uranium into MOX fuels for use in nuclear power reactors. British Nuclear Fuel intend to then export the MOX fuel to Japan.
The Government has also requested information from Britain on any new security measures in place around Sellafield following the September 11th attacks on the US.