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Regional Workington · West Cumbria

Over 900 folk have signed against Japan's reactor coolant coming to Workington port More than 900 sign petition against plan to treat Japanese reactor coolant at the Port of Workington

By Kris WM, editor 3 min read From BBC
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More than 900 sign petition against plan to treat Japanese reactor coolant at the Port of Workington
Photo: Richard Thomas via Geograph / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0

Radiation Free Lakeland reckons 900-odd people have signed against a plant at Workington port that'd turn sodium from a Japanese reactor into caustic soda. The firms say it's not a radiation risk, and it still needs planning and regulators' say-so.

If you live round the port or Oldside, or you're after skilled work in West Cumbria, this one's worth knowing about.

The plan is a new plant at the Port of Workington to deal with the liquid sodium that cooled the Monju reactor in Japan, which is being taken apart. A firm called Alkali Metal Processing, a joint outfit between Cavendish Nuclear and Amentum, would run it and turn the sodium into caustic soda for industry.

Radiation Free Lakeland says more than 900 people have now signed its petition saying the stuff should stay in Japan, the BBC reported on 4 November. Marianne Birkby from the group told the BBC it's "dangerous".

Cavendish Nuclear's line is that the material "presents no radiological hazards". But the BBC says Japan's Atomic Energy Agency has said sodium from one of Monju's cooling circuits did become radioactive, at very low levels, while another circuit's didn't. AMP told the BBC transport and safety plans are being worked up under UK rules, but wouldn't give transport details or test results.

On the money side, AMP says building it would be worth over £25 million, with about 20 jobs while it runs for seven years. Shipments from Japan have been pencilled in for 2028 to 2031, but there's no start date yet.

The council owns the port and is spending around £4.5 million of Town Deal cash clearing land there and at Oldside. It says the plant still needs planning and regulators' approval.

So what can you do? Read the council's announcement for yourself, and keep an eye on Cumberland's planning register. When the application goes in, anyone can have their say on it.

A campaign group says more than 900 people have signed its petition against a planned plant at the Port of Workington that would turn sodium coolant from Japan's Monju reactor into caustic soda. The companies behind it say the material poses no radiological hazard, and it still needs planning and regulatory approval.

This matters to people living near the Port of Workington and Oldside, to anyone watching the port's future, and to people looking for skilled work in West Cumbria.

The plan is for a new facility at the port to treat the liquid sodium coolant from the Monju Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor in Fukui, in western Japan, which is being decommissioned. It would be run by Alkali Metal Processing (AMP), a joint venture between Cavendish Nuclear and Amentum, and would convert the sodium into sodium hydroxide (caustic soda) for industrial reuse.

The campaign group Radiation Free Lakeland says more than 900 people have signed its online petition calling for the material to stay in Japan, the BBC reported on 4 November. The group's Marianne Birkby told the BBC the scheme was "dangerous".

Cavendish Nuclear has said the material "presents no radiological hazards". The BBC reports that Japan's Atomic Energy Agency has said sodium from one of Monju's cooling circuits became radioactive, although at very low levels, while sodium from another circuit did not. AMP told the BBC transport and radiological safety arrangements were being developed under UK regulations, but did not give transport details or test results.

AMP says building the plant would be worth more than £25 million, with about 20 people employed during its seven-year operation. Exports of sodium from Japan have been planned for between 2028 and 2031, but no start date is confirmed.

Cumberland Council, which owns and runs the port, is spending around £4.5 million of Workington Town Deal money clearing land at the port and Oldside for development. It says the plant is subject to the necessary planning and regulatory approvals.

What you can do: read the council's own announcement about the development and watch Cumberland's planning register for the application, where anyone can comment once it is lodged.