HC Deb 13 November 1992 vol 213 cc1001-2W
Mr. Llew Smith

To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will make it his policy to require British Nuclear Fuels plc to install krypton 85 retention filters on the new thermal oxide reprocessing plant at Sellafield.

Mr. Eggar

British Nuclear Fuels plc (BNFL) has made an application under the Radioactive Substances Act 1960 to discharge increased levels of krypton 85 from its Sellafield site to take account of the operation of its thermal oxide reprocessing plant. The company's view is that a krypton removal system suitable for a full scale reprocessing plant is not currently available and that the environmental benefits of installing such a system would not justify its likely cost. BNFL has however given a commitment to keep the development of such a system under review and fit one should it become available and prove to be cost effective when set against the likely environmental benefits. The application is currently under consideration by the chief inspector of Her Majesty's inspectorate of pollution and my right hon. Friend, the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food.

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