Council told of terrorist fears over transport
TRAINS will start transporting nuclear material from Dounreay through the Highlands in the summer – but the exact times and dates will not be disclosed because of fears of terrorist attack.
Speaking yesterday to the Highland Council’s transport, environmental and community services committee in Inverness, Dr Adrian Simper, the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority’s head of strategy, said that publicising the schedule could increase the risk of terrorists targeting the trains.
"Why would we provide that additional information?" said Dr Simper. "That would be helpful to a terrorist and make it an easier target."
However, Dr Simper admitted that the number of rail lines it could use through the region were limited.
He said he understood the public’s interest in the journeys, but insisted that the spent fuel was a relatively benign material and the movement would be "highly regulated". He stressed the material was not nuclear waste.
Dr Simper said the NDA had kept the council and the Scottish Government fully updated about its plans.
The spent fuel will be stored in steel containers weighing 55 tonnes, with the lid alone 10 tonnes in weight. They will be towed by one train and accompanied by a back-up train if the first one fails for any reason.
Dr Simper told councillors that 94 journeys to Sellafield would be made over the next five to six years.
Landward Caithness councillor David Flear, vice-chairman of the Dounreay Stakeholder Group, said he backed the transportation plans and described the scrutiny as reassuring for Highland communities.
"This is not waste," he said. "This is spent fuel. I think this is the only option, and it’s going to be highly regulated and scrutinised."