nuclear-news

New developments at Sellafield for endless storage of ever-increasing amounts of highly radioactive spent nuclear fuel.

 Sellafield to store all fuel from UK’s operational nuclear power stations, by Business Crack, September 25, 2024

A new space-saving rack at Sellafield will enable the site to store all the fuel expected from the UK’s operational nuclear sites.

The first fuel has been placed into a storage rack and the firm said it was set to save billions of pounds.

Known as the 63-can rack, the container allows the Thorp pond to store 50% more spent nuclear fuel.

Without the rack, a new storage pond would have to be built, potentially costing billions of pounds.

The rethink was required because Thorp needs to store more fuel than previously thought because the UK no longer reprocesses spent fuel, but instead stores it underwater prior to disposal.

The rack has been 16 years in the making and represents a success story for UK manufacturing.

Weighing 7 tonnes and standing 5.5 metres high, the stainless steel containers are being built by a consortium of Cumbrian manufacturers and Stoke-based Goodwin International.

Between them, they will manufacture 160 racks. Another 340 racks will be needed in the future…………………………………………………………………….

“These racks will increase fuel capacity from 4,000 tonnes to 6,000 tonnes, meaning we can accommodate all current and future arising, negating the need for a new storage facility……………………………………………………………………..

Because fuel will be stored for longer than was originally intended, the pond has required other alterations including raising the pH level to avoid corrosion and installing new cooling capacity, Sellafield Ltd said. https://businesscrack.co.uk/2024/09/25/sellafield-to-store-all-fuel-from-uks-operational-nuclear-power-stations/

September 29, 2024 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | UK, wastes