Serious concerns about the environmental and safety record of the Dounreay nuclear plant have been raised by Scottish environment secretary Roseanna Cunningham.
In a letter to UK energy minister Richard Harrington, she complained of a disappointing lack of progress across a range of projects in the past year that sat oddly with the planned reduction in workforce at the site.
Her concerns come after shortcomings in safety performance at Dounreay were identified in the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority’s annual report, and criticism of the environmental management at the plant by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency.
She said: “It is troubling that site management, despite repeated efforts, do not seem able to break the pattern of incidents. Local stakeholders have told me that they cannot understand why the substantial voluntary redundancy programme is in place, when there is still so much work to complete.”
Local SNP MSP Gail Ross echoed the minister’s concerns. She said: “The Dounreay site is a vital employer in Caithness and North Sutherland.
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“Surely the most sensible route to ensure safe operation would be to retain as many highly skilled and experienced staff as they are able.
“Nuclear waste is not something that can be dealt with on the cheap, regardless of the location. The UK government must support Dounreay to ensure that the decommissioning process is as safe as it can be, regardless of cost.”
A UK government spokesman said: “The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority continues to monitor progress at the Dounreay site closely to ensure that it is delivering high-quality work and that it remains value for money.”