Radioactive waste is to be transported from Aldermaston to be dumped at Sellafield
Posted: 22nd March 2021
It’s not clear yet how the waste will be transported, but it looks like
the movements will be starting soon if they haven’t already started.
Case Study: Treatment and Storage of Atomic Weapons Establishment Higher
Activity Waste
MOD and the NDA have both made commitments to work together to manage
nuclear liabilities in the national interest.
Nuclear Decommissioning Authority, Ministry of Defence, Sellafield Ltd,
and Low Level Waste Repository Ltd
18 March 2021
https://www.gov.uk/government/case-studies/treatment-and-storage-of-atomic-weapons-establishment-higher-activity-waste
Since the 1950s, the UK has operated a number of fuel cycle and waste
management facilities including waste handling, treatment and storage
facilities. Since 2005, the NDA has made progress in reducing the risk
and hazard associated with its own facilities and wastes and has
capabilities (which are required to deliver the NDA’s mission) that
could be utilised to manage other nuclear liabilities from across the UK
public sector. An example of this is the planned treatment and
management of a quantity of the Atomic Weapons Establishment’s (AWE) HAW.
MOD and the NDA have both made commitments to work together to manage
nuclear liabilities in the national interest. As part of a study of Best
Available Techniques (BAT) for the management of AWE’s HAW, the NDA
agreed to include the use of its own facilities as one of the credible
options.
Following a joint (NDA and AWE) assessment of the options, and taking
into account many factors including safety, value for taxpayer money,
and environmental protection, the preferred option was to use existing
waste treatment facilities at the Sellafield site.
The preferred option has a number of advantages:
it represents significant cost avoidance for the UK taxpayer. AWE’s
initial investment appraisal estimated the cumulative lifetime cost of
an option sited at AWE was £600-720 million, whereas the preferred
option will have a lifetime cost which is substantially lower
existing plant and skilled resource would be sustained at the Sellafield
site
the environmental cost, capital investment, risk and additional
liability for decommissioning associated with a new construction would
be avoided
hazard reduction at the Aldermaston site could be accelerated without
adding to the risk burden at Sellafield
AWE investment has increased the capability of HAW processing at Sellafield.
Furthermore, the retention of safely packaged HAW at Sellafield avoids
operational, logistical and environmental issues associated with
returning the waste to Aldermaston. This programme of work is being
delivered through effective collaboration between MOD, BEIS, AWE, NDA,
Sellafield Limited and Low Level Waste Repository Limited (LLWR
Limited), despite challenges due to differences in departmental processes.
There has been sustained regulatory and stakeholder engagement
throughout. A monthly programme board and working group oversees
delivery of the necessary interventions to ensure that the collaboration
is successful and continues to be in the best interest of the UK. The
first shipment is due for completion in early 2021.
Effective collaboration has supported the resolution of a number of
commercial, operational and logistical challenges, including:
cross-sector commercial policy approaches
title transfer of material at the appropriate point in time, to satisfy
obligations under international safeguards
enabling the transportation of HAW by sharing good practice.