home > news
27 - August 2010 – NDA - The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) has published the UK Strategy for the Management of Solid Low Level Radioactive Waste (LLW) from the Nuclear Industry. Low level waste covers a wide variety of lightly contaminated material that arises as scrap and redundant equipment in both nuclear and non-nuclear industries. It generally comprises plastic, paper, clothing, wood, metal and building rubble. Managing this waste effectively is vital for nuclear decommissioning and power generation operations and for other LLW producers, such as hospitals and universities.
Publication of the final strategy follows a consultation on the draft, which ran from June to November in 2009. 74 responses were received on the draft strategy and its accompanying Strategic Environmental Assessment. These were provided from a wide range of parties, including Regulators, Local Authorities from across the UK, supply chain companies and other interested groups. This process provided valuable feedback to NDA that helped to develop the final strategy. The strategy targets better application of the waste hierarchy to reduce the amount of solid low level radioactive waste generated and reduce reliance on disposal. It was developed in response to Government's 2007 policy for the management of solid Low Level Waste. The objective is to ensure continued capability and capacity for the safe, secure and environmentally responsible management and disposal of LLW in the UK.
Analysis of the consultation responses indicated general agreement with the main principles set out in the draft. These were that waste should be managed in accordance with the waste hierarchy; that NDA should make the best use of existing LLW management assets; and that there is a need for new fit-for-purpose waste management routes. The LLW Repository, where the majority of solid LLW waste is disposed of, is central to the strategy. It is important that this asset is used wisely.
A number of responses emphasised the need for early dialogue with stakeholders and local communities where LLW management initiatives may affect people. It was emphasised that transparency of the decision making processes, based on robust information, will be the cornerstone of successful implementation.
Joanne Fisher, the NDA's Head of Lower Activity Waste, said:"We are very pleased to be publishing the final strategy. A great deal of work has gone in to this – and we are grateful for all the consultation responses received, which have helped us to strengthen the final strategy.
The consultation told us that people want to reduce the environmental impact of LLW management, reflecting the way other waste producers manage wastes, by reducing reliance on disposal in the ground.
Based on stakeholder feedback, we are confident that the final strategy better addresses peoples concerns, and provides guidance on how to make effective waste management decisions".
The principles outlined in the UK Nuclear Industry LLW Strategy are being actively employed by waste producers across the UK and the benefits of applying the waste hierarchy are being realised. The NDA will continue to provide strategic leadership with regard to its implementation.
For the strategy document, click here
26 August 2010 - NEI Magazine - Fifty flasks of spent nuclear fuel from the Chapelcross nuclear power station has been shipped to Sellafield for reprocessing, operator Magnox North said today. Since defueling began in August 2009, 20% of the fuel elements have been removed from the four reactors at Chapelcross. Removal of all 38,075 fuel elements is due to be completed by April 2012. Electric-operated tugs are being used to move flasks containing the spent fuel from the Chapelcross reactor chambers to flask handling bays. Flasks are then shipped to Sellafield. The system supplied by MasterMover has helped to reduce the risk of handling-related injuries. To move a flask from the reactor chamber to the flask-handling bay at Chapelcross, the integrated flask and bogie first need to be guided along the track. The flask then has to be moved to a ‘flask holding area’ (still inside the same secure room) where the lid is torqued on the flask. Until the lid is securely in place, the flask cannot leave this area.
The problem for engineers at Chapelcross is a lack of space (just 3.5m2) in which to manoeuvre the flask and bogie in order to be able to secure the lid in place. The combined weight of the flask, spent fuel and bogie is more than 50 tonnes. In July 2009, site operator Magnox North purchased two MT20/1500 pedestrian tugs to pull the nuclear flasks from the reactors to the flask handling bays. MasterMover designed a special coupling system between the MT20 and the flask bogie, which enables the machine to be connected and disconnected easily and safely. A single Magnox North operator is now able to pull the flask and bogie from the reactor chamber along the guided rails, to any point within the flask holding area. Once this movement is complete, the MT20 is then stored and charged until the flask is needed for processing through the reactor chamber.
Fuel route systems support engineer at Chapelcross Stephen Bennie says: “Prior to investing in the new MT20 tugs from MasterMover, we knew we needed some kind of electric-operated handling system to help us move the flasks around in such a tight space. We did consider the possibility of motorising the bogie system ourselves, but we decided that the cost and time to design, manufacture and install this type of system was prohibitive. Bennie says that safety has also been improved thanks to the new solution. “The braking on the MT20 means that the risk of an operator being accidentally crushed against a door whilst pulling the flask is now eliminated. Obviously, pushing the flask along the rails rather than pulling it has also helped to reduce this risk too.”
12 August 2010 – World Nulcear News – The UK's only remaining operating Magnox nuclear power stations, Oldbury and Wylfa, are looking at operating well beyond their current scheduled closure dates.
Oldbury, on the banks of the River Severn in Gloucestershire, is currently scheduled to close down in June 2011, but site manager Joe Lamonby told a recent stakeholder group meeting that it is likely there will still be enough fuel to operate one of the plant's two reactors beyond that. He told stakeholders that there would not be enough fuel to continue running both reactors - Magnox fuel is no longer being manufactured - but spare fuel from one reactor could be put into the other to keep it operating. The units are owned by the UK's Nuclear Decommissioning Agency (NDA).
Plant operator Magnox North confirmed that the company is indeed undertaking early feasibility work looking forward to generation into 2012, but it is likely to be some time before it applies for a licence extension. "Further discussions with our owner, the NDA, are necessary before any significant work is carried out on the proposal, and the agreement of the regulator would be necessary for the implementation of this option," Oldbury's Zoe Young told World Nuclear News.
Oldbury's two 217 MWe reactors had been due to close at the end of 2008 but the NDA requested permission from the regulator, the Nuclear Installations Inspectorate (NII), to operate beyond that date, earning revenue to help pay for decommissioning. Lamonby told stakeholders that the reactors are doing "fantastically well" at present, although output will drop as the plant moves towards the end of generation.
Magnox North's other operating station, Wylfa in North Wales, is formally scheduled for closure in December 2010, but like Oldbury, could well operate to 2012 with the NII's consent. The plant is currently in the process of applying for extended operation beyond 2010, Magnox North's Lowri Jones explained to WNN. If the regulator gives it permission to continue, Magnox North is hoping to be able to operate the plant for at least two more years. A decision from the NII is expected in the autumn.
Oldbury and Wylfa are the last of the UK's gas-cooled, graphite-moderated first generation nuclear power reactors. Oldbury has been in operation since 1968. Wylfa's two 490 MWe units were the last Magnoxes to be built, entering service in 1971 and 1972 respectively. Both Oldbury and Wylfa have been earmarked as potential sites for new nuclear power stations by RWE-EOn joint venture Horizon, on land which it purchased from the NDA in 2009. Horizon anticipates having its first new plant, at Wylfa, in operation by 2020.
11 August 2010 - The UK Government is conducting a further round of consultations on the exemptions regime laid out under the Radioactive Substances Act 1993 (RSA 93) and the Environmental Permitting Regulations 2011 (EPR 2011). Government has worked in partnership with the Devolved Administrations to revise proposals for the exemption regime following the earlier consultation in the summer of 2009.
The aim of this review is to introduce a new exemptions regime that is proportionate, legally robust, risk-informed, flexible and transparent in its derivation whilst maintaining the current level of protection for human health and the environment. To support the introduction of the new exemptions regime, an impact assessment has been produced and the Government invites comments and opinions on the validity, realism and comprehensiveness of the process.
In England and Wales, it is proposed that the outcome of the review will be incorporated directly into the Environmental Permitting Regulations coming into force in April 2011. In Scotland and Northern Ireland, RSA 93 will be amended by regulations under the European Communities Act 1972 and new exemption orders will be made at the same time.
DECC has issued an engagement package including Draft regulations and impact assessments as well as a response form. The 8 week engagement exercise concludes on the 8th of October 2010 and it is proposed that a series of consultation workshops will be held in the week of the 13th of September. For more information and to download the engagement package click here.
7 July 2010 - Britain's nuclear watchdog has revealed plans for dealing with an increased amount of radio-active waste generated in the country. The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority's (NDA) solution to radioactive waste is to dump it deep underground in a £4 billion specially designed facility. The plans is put forward in the NDA's latest 'Geological Disposal: Steps towards implementation' published today.
Only two sites in Cumbria have so far come forward to express an interest in having the site constructed on their land, but the Government will make the final decision on its location. While that is decided scientists and engineers within the Radioactive Waste Management Directorate (RWMD), part of the NDA, are considering all of the issues created by increased nuclear waste.
The RWMD's managing director, Bruce McKirdy, said: "We are sometime away from construction and operation of a geological disposal facility, but our work also supports the Government's site selection process. This allows us to provide as much information as possible to those communities who are interested in potentially hosting a facility."
If the facility was given the go-ahead it could be operational by 2040 and would remain it used until it was filled with radioactive waste. Mr McKirdy added: "We realise our plans are at the very early stage of this programme and that implementation is dependant on the successful working in partnership with potential host communities and with UK Government."
Source: Edie Newsroom
SD:SPUR is hosting an event entitled “Nuclear decommissioning and the waste hierarchy: Inside and outside the fence” in May 2011, which will focus on the disposal or reuse options for low level radioactive waste. We aim to attract a range of local authorities, site licence companies, community representatives, regulators, academics, NGOs and numerous other groups to gauge and collate collective opinions as well as the reasons behind them. The issue of low level radioactive waste is a core concern in the decommissioning process and one that SLCs are finding innnovative approaches to.
An interesting example is some work done at the Hunterston A site in North Ayrshire, Scotland. Magnox North, the SLC for the site, has undertaken a simple appraisal of options for management of a previously authorised disposal of Very Low Level Waste that had been a cause of local concern. Please click here for a table summarising the pros and cons of the different methods for dealing with this issue. For the full case study please click here.
This one day conference took place at the Radisson in Manchester, on 25 May 2010 and was well attended by members of the nuclear industry, regulatory bodies and academia. The event focussed on sustainable waste and material management in nuclear decommissioning. It showcased current site practices which delegates were able to learn from and focussed on case studies on Characterisation, Risks, Technologies, Planning for the waste hierarchy as well as pointing out obstacles, uncertainties and possible solutions in the field.
There were several extremely informative presentations which are available for download below:
Tim Hedahl - International experience in low level waste management
Kevin Barnes - Wheal Jane Pilot Passive Treatment Plant
John Morrison - Low Moss Prison, Bishopbriggs
Chris Hope & Gary Clarke - Bulk exemption of Calder heat exchanger asbestos
Paul Atyeo - Experience with the reuse of buildings on nuclear sites
Joe Toole - Automated and intelligent waste segregation technologies – the US experience
Rob Stone - Application of DQO methodology to GER healthcare decommissioning
Thanks to the presenters for some excellent content and to all those that attended.
New Nuclear and Nuclear Decommissioning offer one of the biggest supply chain challenges across the broadest range of industry disciplines in generations. Work is starting now. Are you ready to compete? The event provides a chance to find out more about the business opportunities for those with expertise in Construction, Engineering, Geology, Electronics, Chemicals, Environmental science, Transport and logistics, and the many individual contract areas each of the new developments will bring. It is a free seminar where you can meet other companies considering the industry, including Tier 1 contractors (AREVA UK and LLWR), Tier 2 contractors, regulators, NGO's and industry bodies who can tell you about funding to skill up. This introduction to the nuclear industry will cover topics including the current political climate for nuclear following the election, helping delegates understand how the nuclear sector works, where the synergies are with other sectors, supply chain development advice and relevant legal issues. There will also be plenty of networking opportunities with chances to “meet the buyer”.
For more information and a full schedule please click here.
SD:SPUR, the initiative for sustainable practices in decommissioning of nuclear sites, is proud to announce their winning of the 2010 Rushlight® Awards in the Nuclear category. The Nuclear Award celebrates and promotes the significant achievements in developing new and existing technologies that reduce the impact of nuclear power generation on the environment.
To see more information, please click here.
Click here for past news items.