The Rolls Royce plant in Derby is at risk of a Tokaimura style nuclear accident, warned the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament.
The plant was known by CND to produce reactors to power Britain’s fleet of nuclear submarines, including the nuclear missile carrying Trident submarines.
However, what few people realise is that the plant also makes the fuel pellets for the reactors from highly enriched uranium (HEU). This is the same process that workers were involved in at Tokaimura, Japan which led to a "criticality accident" and the radioactive contamination of workers and the surrounding area.
Concerned workers contacted The Sunday Times and The Big Issue (Manchester Edition) following the Japanese accident, as they realised that their workplace had many of the same flaws as the Tokaimura plant.
Their reports suggest that Rolls Royce Derby has no facility for containing radiation if a serious accident occurs.
This is partially supported by a Health and Safety Executive Nuclear Installations Inspectorate report of an ‘on-site’ emergency exercise. According to the report the site has "inadequate contamination control arrangement" for responding to an emergency.
Furthermore, investigations have revealed that there is no local off-site emergency plan to deal with a nuclear accident.
CND revealed that the situation at Derby is potentially worse than that in Japan because of the type of materials being used.
At Tokaimura around 20% HEU was being mixed when the criticality accident occurred. At Rolls Royce they are mixing around 93% HEU making the risk of a accident far higher because the fissile material uranium is less diluted.
A secret document obtained by CND, written by Rolls Royce for the Government Nuclear Safety Advisory Committee early last year warns that "The nature of the fuel demands working practices which minimise the risk of criticality accidents, the control of dose uptake by the workforce and releases to the external environment…"
The facilities at the Derby plant were built in the 1950’s and are not automated because of the small amounts of fuel used. Therefore, exactly as at Tokaimura, most of the mixing and producing of HEU fuel pellets is done by hand.
Dave Knight, Chair of CND said:
"Urgent answers are needed to some very serious questions. Why is there no emergency plan? Are there any containment procedures for a criticality accident? The people of Derby have the right to know."
"As Tokaimura showed, accidents do happen and when they do the affects are long-lasting if not deadly for the local populace. This plant should be immediately closed down."