Breznau power station & BNFL fuel

["Sandy Perle" <sandyfl@earthlink.net>]

LONDON, March 3 (Reuters) - Swiss nuclear investigators have
said BNFL-supplied nuclear fuel at the Breznau power station is safe 
to use, even though data irregularities were found because workers 
had been careless, British Nuclear Fuels said on Friday. 

A team from HSK, the Swiss Federal Nuclear Safety Inspectorate and 
Swiss utility Nordostschweizerische Kraftwerke (NOK) visited BNFL's 
Sellafield site this week because of fears that quality control 
documents relating to Mox fuel in use at Breznau might be false. 

``HSK was able to establish that there is no evidence of deliberate 
falsification of quality assurance data associated with pellets 
manufactured for the Breznau nuclear power station. It was, however 
noted that due care was not taken in every case when documenting 
quality assurance data,'' the Swiss regulator said in statement. 

The state-owned British nuclear giant created a furore last year when 
it was discovered that it had sent Mox fuel to Japan and Germany with 
falsified and incorrect data. 

BNFL's chief executive John Taylor resigned on Monday because of the 
scandal over lax safety. 

In Germany PreussenElektra (VEBG.DE) is shutting its Unterweser 
reactor to remove and replace BNFL-supplied Mox rods which have 
incorrect quality documents and is seeking compensation from the 
British company for the shutdown. 

Japan's Kansai Electric Power Co (9503.T) wants to return to BNFL its 
consignment of Mox fuel tainted by the falsification scandal. 

BNFL's newly-appointed chief executive Norman Askew has said he will 
improve accountability at the group and ditch poor managers in order 
to restore standards and reassure angry customers. 

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Sandy Perle					Tel:(714) 545-0100 / (800) 548-5100   				    	
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