Public inquiry called for National Park nuclear dump

28 September 1998

A leading National Parks charity has called for a public inquiry into plans to establish a nuclear waste dump at the former Trawsfynydd nuclear power station in the Snowdonia National Park.  The Council for National Parks (CNP), has today written to the Secretary of State for Wales, the Rt Hon Ron Davies MP, asking him to hold a public inquiry to enable full public scrutiny of these nationally significant proposals.

A nuclear power station was built at Trawsfynydd in the Snowdonia National Park in the 1950s.  It generated power for only 28 years before closing in 1993.  Now nuclear company Magnox Electric wants to leave the radioactive core of the nuclear reactor on site for the next 135 years.  Magnox says that what it is calling a 'safestore' is the only option; environmentalists want all the alternatives thoroughly explored at a public inquiry.

CNP's Director of Welsh Policy Ruth Chambers said: "Magnox's plans constitute a major development that needs to be very closely examined.  A public inquiry will provide a real opportunity to find the best possible environmental option for dismantling the power station and the one that would be best for the National Park, the people that live there and the millions of people that visit it each year".

The dismantling of the power station is nationally significant because of the national interest in the Snowdonia National Park and the huge scale of activity that would result from the proposals.  This issue has become much more of a political hot potato following the Government's announcement last week that it is actively considering the selling of Magnox Electric to the private sector.

Ruth Chambers concluded: "these works will set a precedent for taking out of service future nuclear power stations.  It presents an opportunity for the Snowdonia National Park to act as a model of best environmental practice taking into account both the issues surrounding nuclear waste disposal and the impacts on the National Park".

For press queries please contact:
Ruth Chambers, Head of Policy on
020 7924 4077 ext. 222