EU: The European Commission is to take the UK to court for failing to provide adequate information about its nuclear site, Sellafield writes Honor Mahony in Brussels
Announcing the decision yesterday in Brussels, Energy Commissioner Ms Loyola de Palacio said that "since 2000, the UK has entered into all sorts of commitments - none of which has been respected".
The information that British Nuclear Fuels, the government-owned operator at Sellafield, provided by June 1st - under orders by the European Commission - was dismissed by Ms Palacio as having "no clear timetable, no detail . . . no money".
"All we received from the British authorities was a draft; this is not a commitment at all," she said.
If the case makes it to the court, the UK risks being fined for being in breach of Euratom - the 1957 Nuclear Treaty - which allows for inspectors to enter sites to check if nuclear material is being stored safely.
The controversy centres around B30, a concrete pond that stores radioactive waste under water at the Sellafield plant, which EU inspectors have been unable to access.
By some estimates, the amount of plutonium in B30 is 1,300 kg, about 400 kg of which is contained in corroded fuel sludge at the bottom of the pond. The Commission's move came after it lost patience with the UK, which has been dragging its feet over B30 for years - the site was first visited by EU inspectors in 1986, while annual inspections have been carried out since 1991.
"I started with this issue in the year 2000. During those four and a half years, there has been no real action from the UK," said Ms Palacio.
Reacting to Friday's decision, a spokeswoman for Britain's permanent representation to the EU said: "We're surprised that they've taken the decision to take legal action."
She added: "We need to carefully consider the areas where the Commission has said that our plan is inadequate, they have given us a detailed list and we only got it today." The Commission also wants to use the UK as an example for other member-states - particularly those from Central and Eastern Europe, many of which have been told to improve their nuclear plants.
Meanwhile, in the background to this Sellafield issue, is a nuclear legislation package that Ms Palacio has been trying to push through since 2002.
This package, which proposes binding legislation on nuclear safety and radioactive waste management, is being blocked by the UK, amongst others. Ms Palacio is next week to propose re-drafted legislation.