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| Breaking News | |
| French emergency exercise flawed as public debate on nuclear plans collapses | |
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Cherbourg, 19 October, 2005 - The danger and secrecy of the French nuclear industry has been further exposed with plans for an emergency exercise at the la Hague plutonium plant, Greenpeace stated today. The exercise, including evacuation of schools, is due to be conducted by the plant operators, Areva, and the authorities on Thursday 20 October (1). However, results of a new analysis commissioned by Greenpeace show that in the event of deliberate armed attack hazardous radioactive material including plutonium and high-level nuclear waste fission products would be dispersed over a wide area, outside the area to be evacuated by French authorities. More |
| 60 years after Hiroshima and Nagasaki Greenpeace renews its call for peace | |
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August 5, 2005 - On the eve of the 60th anniversary of the nuclear bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Greenpeace renewed its call to world leaders to make real their decades old commitments to nuclear disarmament and for the Japanese government to abandon plans to produce nuclear weapons usable material. More |
| U.S NUCLEAR HYPOCRISY FUELLED BY ARRIVAL OF EXPERIMENTAL PLUTONIUM SHIPMENT. A ship containing a cargo of experimental nuclear fuel made from weapons-grade plutonium arrived in the United States today after an 4000 mile round trip to France and back. The cargo, the first of its kind to be brought into the US, was taken from U.S. military plutonium stocks, shipped across the Atlantic to France, where it was meet by a storm of protest, transformed into mixed oxide (MOX) nuclear reactor fuel by the French state company Areva (1) and then returned to the US. The shipment flies in the face of global efforts to curb the nuclear threat.More |
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| SECURITY AND SAFETY ISSUES IN U.S. STILL CAUSING CONCERN. As the Pacific Pintail heads for the port of Charleston, citizens groups in the U.S. are continuing to raise concerns over the security and safety hazards related to plutonium MOX use. More |
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| U.S. SECURITY CONSULTANT WARNS PLUTONIUM TRANSPORTS AT HIGH AND EXTREME RISK OF ‘SUCCESSFUL’ TERRORIST ATTACK. March 15, 2005. Greenpeace has been opposed to the production and use of plutonium for several decades. Since 1990 we have focussed on security and environmental hazards posed by such transports. In September 2004, the U.S. Government transported weapons grade plutonium from Charleston, South Carolina to the Cadarache nuclear complex in the South of France, via the port of Cherbourg. During the 1500km 26 hour overland transport in France, Greenpeace activists were able to track and observe (at times within a few metres) the transport. So shocked were we by the security we observed we commissioned a leading U.S. nuclear consultant to assess the level of security in France. We also requested an overview of the security for the routine plutonium transports that move through France every week. More |
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March 11, 2005 - Photo from Barrow in Furness, England on March 11th (last Friday) showing the loading of provisions on to the Pacific Pintail. The Pintail is expected to depart with the Pacific Teal to the port of Cherbourg within days to pick up the cargo of U.S. plutonium MOX fuel. |
| CITIZEN GROUP TAKES LEGAL ACTION TO HALT PLUTONIUM FUEL (MOX) PLANT CONSTRUCTION AUTHORIZATION AT SAVANNAH RIVER SITE March 1, 2005 --- Atlanta/Washington --- In a move which could further delay the controversial plutonium fuel (MOX) program at the Savannah River Site (SRS), Georgians Against Nuclear Energy (GANE) filed a legal document with the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) late on Monday against issuance of a construction authorization for the facility. More |
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| Regions against Dangerous Nuclear Plans of the Government February 24, 2005, Tomsk – Moscow. 83% of Tomsk residents oppose a new project of Rosatom (Federal Atomic Energy Agency) to construct the plant for MOX-fuel production in their region and they are ready to provide active support to local NGOs. This conclusion was made according to results of the survey conducted by Tomsk Students Environmental Inspection Team (TESI) under the direction of sociologists from Tomsk State University. More |
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| Problems Face Plutonium Fuel Program in the United States February 16, 2005 - While the shipment of U.S. plutonium across France may soon take place, a key obstacle to the sea shipment back to the U.S. of the fabricated MOX test fuel remains. No license amendment has yet been granted by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to test the experimental fuel in the Catawba-1 reactor in South Carolina. Lack of such a needed license simply means that all plans for sea shipmentfrom Cherbourg to the port of Charleston, South Carolina must bepostponed. More |
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Disregarding nuclear proliferation, plutonium industry continues to play with the lives of millions Cadarache, France, 8 October 2004 - Despite international concerns about nuclear proliferation, the 140 kilograms of US weapons-grade plutonium transport reached Cadarache nuclear facility in southern France today. The nuclear shipment contained enough purified plutonium that could be used immediately to make 15 to 20 atom bombs the size of the one dropped on Nagasaki in World War II. More |
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France under threat as US plutonium
transport departs la Hague Update: The transport will go through Rennes and then Bordeaux on it's way to Cadarache - Click here to see a map After departing La Hague at 04:19 hours this morning the Plutonium convoy headed for Caen. All along the route for 1 hour before the transport every road bridge was guarded by military police. After leaving Caen at approximately 08:20 hours the Pu transport headed south west to Rennes. More |
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How vulnerable
is the plutonium transport? Now that the plutonium transport is on its way across France we should have another look at just how safe it actually is. Click here to see some shocking images. |
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Plutonium transport hits the
road Despite claims that security is high and the plutonium is safe, it was frighteningly easy to photograph the transport leaving Cherbourg for la Hague. More |
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Plutonium ship arrives in Cherbourg 06 October 2004: The Pacific Pintail arrived in Cherbourg at dawn this morning. French nuclear company Areva have stated to the press that it has on board the U.S. weapons-grade plutonium.More UPDATE: The activists arrested yesterday at the road blockade have been released. |
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Greenpeace
activists block road to be used by US plutonium convoy 05 October 04: 1130: Greenpeace activists today blocked the road to be used for transporting 140 kilograms of U.S. weapons plutonium after its imminent arrival in France. A truck was bolted and secured to the main road (D901) between the Cherbourg military port and the state nuclear company Areva/Cogema reprocessing complex on the la Hague peninsula. More |
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Nuclear industry attempt to ban Greenpeace
protest against plutonium shipment Cherbourg, France: Greenpeace has been summoned to appear in the Cherbourg Court tomorrow, where it will face a request by Areva, through its subsidiary Cogema, and British Nuclear Fuels Ltd (BNFL), for an injunction preventing it from approaching within 300m of the two ships carrying plutonium from the US to France or within 100m of the Cherbourg harbour More |
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Celebrated French sailor Eugene
Riguidel arrested protesting against the US plutonium
shipment
03 October 04: Eugene Riguidel – one of France’s most famous mariners and a member of the nuclear free flotilla in Cherbourg – has been arrested for sailing his boat into the military area of Cherbourg harbour [VIDEO]...More |
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Plutonium shipment offload location
leaked
01 October 04: Greenpeace has learned this evening from reliable sources that the plutonium cargo ships will in fact unload their cargo in the Napoleon III Basin inside the military arsenal in Cherbourg...More |
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Check point
activists working around the clock |
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Plutonium
check point This morning Greenpeace activists set up a check point along the route of the U.S. plutonium transport expected in Cherbourg in the next few days. The highly visible check point is aimed at alerting the French people to the danger posed by the shipment...More |
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Potential
routes for U.S. plutonium transport Regular transports of French plutonium have in the past traveled along the highway from la Hague, via Caen , to Paris then to Lyon . However, in the last six months Areva has started taking different routes, including to the north east of Paris, and to the south of la Hague via Brittany. Click here to see a map showing potential routes. |
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Greenpeace ship arrives in France
ahead of U.S. weapons plutonium transport |
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Protests
across France over incoming plutonium shipment Protest erupted all over France today in opposition to the dangerous nuclear shipment bound for Cherbourg, northern France. More |
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 Bush Administration to ship deadly weapons plutonium to FranceCharleston, South Carolina, USA, 20 September 2004 - Despite all the reasons in the world to cancel this shipment, at 13.30 hrs local time September 20th the Pacific Pintail and Pacific Teal, with an escort of 14 U.S. coast guard, police boats, helicopter and other military protection departed the U.S. east coast port of Charleston bound for the French port of Cherbourg". Greenpeace and local groups in the United States and France reiterated their opposition to the nuclear shipment. More |
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September 16th, Cherbourg - Greenpeace activists today entered the military arsenal in the port of Cherbourg to protest a planned shipment of U.S. plutonium. The activists arriving in canoes evaded French Gendarmarie boats and hung a ‘Stop Plutonium' banner along the military dock. The ‘secure' dock is where British Nuclear Fuels and Areva plan to unload three casks of weapons-grade plutonium later this month. The plutonium is then to be transported to the south of France where it will be fabricated into nuclear reactor fuel. More |
Brussels, September 13th The European Commission is being urged to immediately investigate the recent accident at a French nuclear facility that is due within weeks to receive a shipment of U.S. weapons-grade plutonium. The accident at the Cadarache facility took place on September 6th, but was only confirmed by its owners the Atomic Energy Commission three days later. Two workers were confirmed as contaminated as well as other parts of the building. Greenpeace is concerned that the details of the scale of the accident, its consequences and decontamination are not being provided by the French authorities. Given the security and safety implications of both the shipment and the current situation at the Cadarache plant, Greenpeace has called on Commissioner De Palacio to suspend the shipment. The Commission authorized the shipment in a letter to the U.S. Government last December.(1) More |
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September 10, 2004 - Plutonium contamination accident at French nuclear facility - Greenpeace demands halt to U.S shipment plans to this facility. More
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September 2nd, 2004 - Greenpeace reports the departure of two nuclear British freighters, the Pacific Teal and the Pacific Pintail, which are due to cross the Atlantic so as to load US “weapon-grade” Plutonium in Charleston military port, South Carolina. The Pacific Teal left last night at 4am and the Pacific Pintail left Barrow-in-Furness Port around 3.30 pm. Both cargos were loaded with supply and munitions More
Click on the picture to enlarge it. The unfurled red flag indicates munition are being loaded. |
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Greenpeace concerns over US plutonium shipment echoed by US Congressmen. More information and official letters |
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Inspectors of the CCCI (Citizen Unit for the Control and Inspection of Fissile Material) have spotted and followed 9 trucks as from the beginning of August ! Each of them transporting up to 150 kilos of plutonium or plutonium waste materials. Each and every single time, the CCCI was able to publish real-time reports on their website, giving precise details regarding position and itineraries for each of the trucks . Information and photos |
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August, 21st 2004 - STOP-PLUTONIUM DAY |
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To prevent proliferation of military nuclear or terrorist activities, to avoid terrible threats to human health and the environment: the plutonium industry and its costly, dangerous and useless traffic must be stopped immediately.
On Wednesday February 19th 2003, in the very centre of Chalon-sur-Saone, and with disconcerting ease, Greenpeace intercepted and blocked symbolically a Cogema Logistics truck. This truck was transporting 150 kilograms of plutonium powder, in PuO2 form - enough to make close to twenty Hiroshima sized bombs. At the same time, Greenpeace published a comprehensive study, performed by WISE-Paris consultants, addressing plutonium industry generated transport and the associated risks to which populations and the environment are exposed.
The Chalon action and the Wise-Paris report were the first phases of a Greenpeace campaign to uncover and shed light upon the plutonium traffic in France and inform everyone concerned of the dangers that the plutonium industry is exposing them to, without their knowledge. As part of this campaign, Greenpeace has created the Cellule Citoyenne de Contrôle et d'Inspection des matières fissiles (CCCI) or Citizen Unit for the Control and Inspection of Fissile Materials. The objective of this unit, composed of "Greenpeace inspectors", is to continue to investigate the ultra-secret plutonium traffic criss-crossing France.
On this site, you will find detailed maps (french) of plutonium industry's operations, a comprehensive description of transportation methods and trucks used as well as a lot of information on plutonium, MOX, weapons of mass destruction (french) and nuclear proliferation (french). Have a nice visit.
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