Despite increased safety concerns following the terrorist attacks, Great Britain has approved the opening of a radioactive fuel reprocessing plant by the state-owned British Nuclear Fuels. Although British officials said the plant, which would convert used plutonium from a nearby facility into mixed oxide fuel, presented a “negligible” security risk, others fear the plant and its plutonium shipments could be the object of terrorist attacks. Greenpeace and Friends of the Earth are considering legal challenges, as is the Irish government. The plant is located in northwest England, just 150 miles from the Irish border.
