nuclear-news

The discovery of a highly radioactive nuclear fuel element at Hunterston in North Ayrshire has sparked concerns about an “alarming safety lapse”.

The site’s local stakeholder group says this is “something that should not have happened” and is demanding answers from nuclear safety regulators. Campaigners claim it’s a “dangerous situation”……….

The UK Government company that runs the site promises the fuel element is “in a safe and controlled environment”. Its discovery was “completely expected” and more old fuel may be found, it says.

A fuel element is a long, thin metallic tube containing pellets of uranium. When burnt — or irradiated – in a reactor, it produces dozens of different radioactive materials, including plutonium, and becomes intensely radioactive.

Fuel elements burnt in the now defunct Hunterson A nuclear power station should have been sent to the Sellafield nuclear complex in Cumbria. There, they would have been processed and separated into low-level, medium-level and high-level radioactive waste, as well as plutonium.

But on 3 March 2021 workers emptying an old storage vault at Hunterston discovered an entire 64-centimetre fuel element amongst other radioactive waste. The find was reported to the UK Office for Nuclear Regulation, the Scottish Environment Protection Agency, and the local site stakeholder group.

Hunterston A was a first generation Magnox nuclear station with two reactors that operated from 1964 to 1990 and is currently being decommissioned. It is on the Firth of Clyde adjacent to the Hunterston B nuclear station, whose two reactors are due to close down by January 2022 after the discovery of hundreds of cracks in their graphite cores.

The Hunterston site stakeholders group, which represents local community interests, said it had been informed of the find on 8 March. The fuel element was discovered in the last of five old vaults being emptied of medium-level radioactive waste, it said.

“For a complete fuel rod to have found its way there, instead of into the cooling pond and on to Sellafield, is something, that should not have happened,” said a joint statement from the group’s chair, Rita Holmes, and vice-chair, Stuart McGhie.

“We have contacted the Office of Nuclear Regulation and asked several questions. They have assured us that they will be in touch by the 13 April. Till then, one can only speculate.”…………

The 50-strong group of UK nuclear-free authorities called for a full investigation. “This incident appears to be an alarming safety lapse that has not been resolved in the way it should have been,” said the group Scottish convenor, Glasgow SNP councillor, Feargal Dalton.

“Highly radioactive spent fuel, containing the likes of plutonium, should not be dumped in a vault at Hunterston A, but rather be sent to Sellafield where the appropriate waste management processes are in place.”

Dalton pointed out that The Ferret reported in 2020 that radioactive waste had been detected in a supposed empty fuel flask sent from Sellafield to the Hunterston B plant. “The Office for Nuclear Regulation needs to fully investigate this concerning safety breach,” he added.

The Edinburgh based nuclear consultant and critic, Pete Roche, said: “This dangerous situation illustrates that, when it comes to dealing with nuclear waste, human error is always going to be a potential problem.

“Thank goodness successive Scottish governments have decided to eschew building new reactors and make the most of our plentiful renewable resources instead. Dealing with our legacy nuclear waste is going to be difficult enough without creating yet more as the Westminster government is doing.”…………

According to the UK Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR), the fuel element was likely to date back many years and was classed as “higher activity waste”. ONR had also been notified of the find by Magnox……….. https://theferret.scot/concerns-nuclear-safety-lapse-hunterston/