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UK’s plan for new nuclear plants add to danger of Sellafield radioactive waste problem

Experts in the field say the ongoing problems at Sellafield are worrying, especially in light of the possibility of waste that will be created from new-build nuclear…The consultation process on how to deal with nuclear waste and new nuclear plants across the country has been clearly lacking,

Sellafield is where we house the toxic legacy of our failed nuclear industry’ Industry experts say the government must deal with legacy waste before committing to new nuclear in the UK Nidhi Prakash,   27 January 2011,   guardian.co.uk There are many uncertainties about the renaissance of nuclear power in the UK, particularly surrounding the level of public subsidy, but one thing remains constant: the industry’s waste problem hasn’t gone away.

The clean-up of nuclear legacy waste at the Sellafield nuclear reprocessing plant – a site historically plagued with mismanagement and technical difficulties – is running behind schedule, according to the 2009-10 annual report from the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA), which was quietly released in December.

The safe removal and treatment of legacy waste has failed to hit the targetsdue to “factors including deteriorating building structures, uncertain material inventories and difficult working conditions,” the report says. The consolidation of “legacy sludges” in a storage pond are running behind, and the report gives no explanation for the delay……..

Experts in the field say the ongoing problems at Sellafield are worrying, especially in light of the possibility of waste that will be created from new-build nuclear.

“Sellafield is a national disgrace. Sellafield is where we house the toxic legacy of our failed nuclear industry,” said Paul Dorfman from the University of Warwick, who has worked extensively on radiation and nuclear waste issues with the government and industry……….

The consultation process on how to deal with nuclear waste and new nuclear plants across the country has been clearly lacking, according to both Prof Andrew Blowers from the Open University and Prof Gordon Mackerron, the director of the science and technology policy research unit at the University of Sussex

“What they’re actually saying implicitly is that we don’t care about the far future. Essentially they make it up as they go along. We have been calling very vigorously for another proper consultation. The consultation that they’ve been going through [which started in September 2010] has been pretty farcical,” said Blowers.

‘Sellafield is where we house the toxic legacy of our failed nuclear industry’ | Environment | guardian.co.uk

January 28, 2011 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | decommission reactor, UK, wastes