HC Deb 10 January 1989 vol 144 cc572-3W
Mrs. Clwyd

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy, how much plutonium, in what chemical forms and by which routes, has been discharged into the Irish Sea by the Sellafield plant(a) since it began operating and (b) each of the years since 1979.

Mr. Michael Spicer

Liquid discharges from Sellafield contain very small quantities of nuclear materials, including plutonium. These are discharged to the sea through pipelines provided for the purpose, and are subject to conditions of authorisations granted by the Secretary of State for the Environment and the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food.

The amount of plutonium included in these discharges since operations began in 1951 until the end of 1987 was 730 terabequerels, expressed as alpha activity.

The quantity discharged in each of the years since 1974 is as follows:

Year Plutonium (alpha activity) terabequerels
1974 46
1975 44
1976 47
1977 36
1978 58
1979 50
1980 26.9
1981 20.0
1982 20.7
1983 11.6
1984 10.9
1985 3.4
1986 2.7
1987 1.3