Cumberland Council plans to import sodium coolant, a type of nuclear waste,  thousands of miles from Japan to Cumbria, for processing at the Port of Workington, just 885m from Northside Primary School and nearby  residential areas including many towns and villages. 

Sodium coolant is extremely hazardous, and carries a high risk of violent explosion or fire if exposed to air or water.

It may also contain radioactive elements. 

Further concerns include:

• Less than a mile from Northside Primary School, the proposed chemical plant is being designed to convert the hazardous coolant into caustic soda. 

• Caustic soda is also a hazardous material and carries enormous risks to the environment including over decades if spilled.

• £4.5m of the Workington Town Deal government funding is being used to develop this site, despite the development planning to employ just 20 people over a period of 7 years. 

• The Workington Town Deal  was promoted as being for the public benefit, not for creating profit for a handful of private nuclear businesses. 

• The £25m that the site construction phase is predicted to generate is meaningless compared to the certain risk our children and local environments would face as a result of the site's operation and the £Billions that would likely be required for clean up following operation of  this proposed  chemical plant for Japan's failed fast breeder nuclear reactor wastes.

Further Info

Japan's prototype fast-breeder reactor (FBR), 'Monju', was a disaster from the start. It was shut down due to an accident less than 9 months after achieving criticality, and remained closed for 15 years. Reopening in 2008, a second accident closed it for good. Overall, Monju generated electricity for exactly one hour after achieving criticality in 1994 and will cost £Billions to decommission. 

Fast breeder reactors use liquid metal as a coolant – usually liquid sodium, which violently explodes on contact with air water.   Dounreay, which ran the UK's own Fast Breeder Reactors, processed the coolant onsite at both reactors.   Sodium coolant at Dounreay did contain radioactive caesium. 

Cumberland Council are partners in the plan to bring the Monju’s sodium coolant to the Port of Workington.  

 Ironically, 'Monju' was named to represent transcendent wisdom in Buddhist tradition.  It has achieved neither wisdom nor its stated aim of electricity generation apart from one hour's worth.    Campaigners in Japan have been working to "Stop the Monju" for many years.

Despite only producing electricity for just one hour, the Monju has produced tonnes of chemical and radioactive waste some of which the operators the Japan Atomic Energy Agency now want to ship thousands of miles to Cumbria instead of dealing with in Japan.  We say No!

For more info please see BRIEFING sent to all Cumberland Councillors