Sellafield, Safety data was falsified
The chief executive of British Nuclear Fuels is to resign tomorrow, following recent revelations about safety breaches at Sellafield. John Taylor had initially said that he would stay on, despite admissions that safety checks on plutonium fuels had been fabricated. The British Trade and Industry Secretary, Stephen Byers, issued a statement welcoming Mr Taylor's decision to step down.
Last week's damning report by the Nuclear Installations Inspectorate said that safety data at the Sellafield plant in Cumbria had been falsified. It also accused the company of "systematic management failures" in the wake of the discovery that data relating to checks on the safety of a shipment of uranium and plutonium mixed oxide fuel to Japan had been falsified. The revelations led to BNFL's largest customer, Japan cancelling their orders for MOX fuel.
Mr Taylor had been with the company for four years. Two weeks ago, he travelled to Japan to try and win back the confidence of one of BNFL's biggest customers. BNFL Chairman, Hugh Collum, said that these were difficult and changing times for BNFL. However, he said that he remained confident that a successful Public Private Partnership would help transform the company. The company has not yet named a successor to Mr Taylor.
The Green Party here has welcomed Mr Taylor's resignation, as a vindication of the mismanagement of Sellafield. Deputy Trevor Sargent said that there should now be a major overhaul of operations at Sellafield.
