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Reuters article - Belgian Nuclear Shipments Begin As CourtBacks Down
Belgian Nuclear Shipments Begin As Court Backs Down
Updated 11:10 AM ET April 4, 2000
BRUSSELS, Belgium (Reuters) - A Belgian court has reversed its ban on a rail shipment of nuclear waste from France destined for storage in Belgium and the first load is already on its way, the Belgian interior ministry said Tuesday.
Following a government appeal, the court in Dendermonde, northern Belgium, reversed a decision made two days earlier to block the shipment on the grounds that the Belgium government was not prepared for a possible accident.
"The decision this morning allows the shipment to be executed in the planned timeframe," read a ministry statement. "The first shipment will leave therefore today around 2 p.m. (8 a.m. EDT) from Valognes (France) to Dessel (Belgium)."
The train will bring reprocessed fuel from France's Cogema plant at La Hague, through a train station in Valognes, and on to a storage depot in Dessel, northern Belgium.
Synatom, the nuclear power division of Belgian power utility Electrabel, said the shipment would arrive at Mol train station, close to its final destination, at 11:30 p.m. EDT Tuesday.
Belgium plans to make 15 shipments, taking back 2,649 cubic feet) of "vitrified" waste -- used reprocessed fuel stored in canisters -- for long-term storage. The fuel originates from Belgium's own nuclear power stations.
Environmental action group Greenpeace had petitioned the Dendermonde court claiming Belgium had failed to implement an appropriate emergency plan for a potential accident during transportation.
"(But) we said in our defense that all security measures were taken and there was no need to try to stop (the shipments)," Interior Minister Antoine Duquesne's spokesman told Reuters.
The interior ministry said it had ordered additional security to protect the shipments.
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Jim Hardeman, Manager
Environmental Radiation Program
Environmental Protection Division
Georgia Department of Natural Resources
4244 International Parkway, Suite 114
Atlanta, GA 30354
(404) 362-2675 fax: (404) 362-2653
Jim_Hardeman@mail.dnr.state.ga.us
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