Government's nuclear road map faces fresh blockades

The government's plans to fast track a new generation of nuclear reactors could be facing another road block after a group of academics joined green groups in calling for an independent inquiry into the current consultation processes, while new reports emerged of safety breaches at the Sellafield plant in Cumbria.

Under EU rules, the government's nuclear plans have to pass through a " justification" process designed to ensure there is a net benefit arising from any new reactors.

Green groups have accused the government of a lack of transparency over this justification process, and now they have been joined by a group of academics from the Nuclear Consultation Group (NCG), a working group backed by the Joseph Rowntree Trust.

According to reports in The Observer yesterday, the group has written to the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) calling for an independent inquiry and raising questions over energy and climate change secretary Ed Miliband's role in the justification process given his public support for new reactors.

"Given that justification, once finalised, may foreclose on any future discussion on issues crucial to nuclear power, it is vital that this process is opened up in order to allow for meaningful and realistic examination of evidence [in] a public forum," Paul Dorfman, an academic at Warwick University, told The Observer. "Because the justification of new nuclear power in the UK represents a key issue for trust in governance concerning energy policy and the control of radiation risk, we believe the government should hold an independent inquiry."

A spokeswoman for DECC said that a public consultation was already underway and it did not see the need for a separate independent inquiry at this time. “The Secretary of State's role in it is perfectly reasonable and he'll approach it in open-minded and fair manner," she added.

The letter comes as the safety record of Sellafield nuclear power plant was again thrown into the spotlight after the company which runs the facility admitted it had lost two toxic containers.

Nuclear Management Partners (NMP) also admitted that a radioactive spillage found earlier this year was the worst since 2005, when a leak resulted in former owners, British Nuclear Fuels, being fined £500,000.

The breaches were seized on by anti-nuclear campaigners as evidence of the inherent safety risks associated with any nuclear power plants.

NMP told The Observer it was continuing to search for the lost radioactive material, but insisted that environmental safety had not been affected and that "the most likely explanation is that the material remains on site and has been moved to a neighbouring facility, and that the anomaly lies within the accountancy procedures".

A DECC spokeswoman said that ministers were "being kept closely informed" about the issue while an investigation is carried out.

"Sellafield Ltd is the site operator responsible and has assured us that environmental and public safety have not been compromised," she said. "Because of the contained way in which the material is stored and the stringent level of security at Sellafield, the company is confident the material is still on the site. What’s important is that the company completes its investigation to account for the material and looks closely at their procedures to avoid any future discrepancies."