Protesters demonstrate against A-bomb waste
A ship has arrived at a plant in eastern Sweden to collect waste from Sweden's nuclear weapons programme for transport to a British reprocessing plant. Greenpeace activists were there to meet the Atlantic Osprey as it approached Studvik's plant near Nyköping at 8am on Monday. The ship is due to transport nuclear waste created during Sweden's nuclear weapons programme, which ran from the mid-50s to 1970. The waste came from the R1 research reactor at the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm and contains 1.2 kilos of super weapons grade plutonium.
The waste is to be taken to the Sellafield nuclear reprocessing plant in north-west England. Police and coastguards were at the scene to escort the cargo. Also present were around 30 Greenpeace activists in six boats.
Greenpeace objects to the transportation of radioactive waste, and claims that the Sellafield plant releases radioactive substances into the sea and air. The government has said that Sweden has no choice but to export the waste, saying there are no facilities to deal with it in Sweden.
Comments
See Also
The ship is due to transport nuclear waste created during Sweden's nuclear weapons programme, which ran from the mid-50s to 1970. The waste came from the R1 research reactor at the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm and contains 1.2 kilos of super weapons grade plutonium.
The waste is to be taken to the Sellafield nuclear reprocessing plant in north-west England. Police and coastguards were at the scene to escort the cargo. Also present were around 30 Greenpeace activists in six boats.
Greenpeace objects to the transportation of radioactive waste, and claims that the Sellafield plant releases radioactive substances into the sea and air. The government has said that Sweden has no choice but to export the waste, saying there are no facilities to deal with it in Sweden.
Join the conversation in our comments section below. Share your own views and experience and if you have a question or suggestion for our journalists then email us at [email protected].
Please keep comments civil, constructive and on topic – and make sure to read our terms of use before getting involved.
Please log in here to leave a comment.