§ Mr. Critchleyasked the Secretary of State for Defence if it is the intention of Her Majesty's Government to build a special plant at Capenhurst in order to produce highly enriched uranium suitable for use in nuclear weapons, thus restarting production for the first time since 1963.
§ Mr. PymIt is proposed to build a special plant at the Capenhurst works of British Nuclear Fuels Ltd. to provide for the Royal Navy's long-term needs for fuel to be consumed in its nuclear propelled submarines. The development of gas centrifuge technology provides the opportunity to resume indigenous production of highly enriched uranium, obtained from the now outdated Capenhurst diffusion plant until 1963 and currently from the United States. Planning clearance is being sought from the relevant local authorities to provide modern facilities at Capenhurst. Subject to this, the Ministry of Defence will place a contract 713W with British Nuclear Fuels Ltd. with the aim of starting construction in 1980 and bringing the plant into service in the mid-1980s. The Ministry of Defence will pay for the project, which is separate from the collaborative programme with the Netherlands and the Federal Republic of Germany for the production of low enriched uranium for civil purposes.
As with all nuclear plants at Capenhurst, the safety and environmental aspects of the new facility will be assessed and approved, as appropriate, by the Nuclear Installation Inspectorate of the Health and Safety Executive and the relevant authorising Government Departments. Design, construction and operating procedures will be to the same high standards as have hitherto been applied to all nuclear sites to ensure that there will be no significant hazard to either the work force or the local community.