N-Base Briefing 438


N-Base Briefing 438
8th January 2005

ISSN 1478-4661

Italy wants UK to take its waste

Italy is seeking to export 235 tonnes of spent fuel to the UK either for reprocessing for indefinite storage. Italy abandoned its nuclear industry in the 1980s and the spent fuel has been deteriorating in storage facilities ever since.

Now Italy has entered into informal talks with British Nuclear Fuels to either send the highly active waste to the UK for 'disposal', or indefinite storage, or to have the fuel reprocessed in the Thorp plant at Sellafield, but with the condition that all the resulting waste as well as the recovered plutonium and uranium also remains in the UK.

It is understood Italy is also talking to the French reprocessing company Cogema about a similar deal.

Either proposal runs contrary to current UK national policy, which prohibits importing foreign nuclear waste for 'disposal' in the UK.

Monitoring results...

The UKAEA has published its 2003 annual review of beach monitoring. The report provides detailed information and analysis about UKAEA's programme of monitoring a number of local beaches, including Sandside. In 2003 a total of 24 radioactive particles were found at the Sandside beach - the UKAEA says the increased number compared to previous years was the result of improved equipment. The report can be found at www.ukaea.org.uk/dounreay/particles.htm

...monitoring resumes

The monitoring of the Sandside beach for radioactive particles resumed in December after an eight month break because the landowner, Mr Geoffrey Minter, refused permission for the work. Mr Minter said he and his advisers still believed the monitoring was inadequate in both is technology and the area covered. The monitoring work is carried out for the UKAEA by RWE Nukem.

Sodium record

A total of 770 tonnes of radioactive liquid sodium has been treated to date in the disposal plant built at the Prototype Fast Reactor to treat about 1,400 tonnes of the hazardous material. The UKAEA said the amount treated so far represented a world record for the safe destruction of liquid metal - beating the 633 tonne figure in the USA in 2001.

Shaft boreholes

The UKAEA has applied to the Highland Council for permission to drill up to 50 boreholes to sample groundwater and test groundwater movement as a trial for the sealing off of the controversial waste shaft at Dounreay. The holes will be drilled in a ring pattern similar to that proposed for sealing off the shaft from the surrounding environment prior to pumping special grout into hundreds of boreholes.

Radon fears

An estimated 1,000 people a year die as a result of exposure to radioactive radon gas, which occurs naturally from decaying uranium in soil and rocks, according to a new study. The study was funded by the European Commission and Cancer Research and carried out by scientists from Oxford University. The researchers also argue that the UK's action level of 200 Bq per cubic metre is too high and radon is a 'substantial hazard' below this level. Smokers face a threat from radon 25 times greater than non-smokers. The National Radiological Protection Board is currently carrying out a study of 4,500 homes to assess the radon threat in Scotland. Details of the new study are available at http://bmj.bmjjournals.com/onlinefirst_date.shtml

Submarine response delayed

The Ministry of Defence has announced that there'll be a two month delay in publishing its response to the consultation on the storage of reactor compartments from decommissioned nuclear submarines. The response was originally planned for 'late 2004'.

Monitoring results

The Norwegian Radiation Protection Authority has published the results of its marine monitoring programme for 2004. The report can be downloaded from www.nrpa.no

Dump support

All the major trades unions at Sellafield have joined together to support a decision on a UK underground nuclear waste repository in 2005. Delays in deciding on waste management should not be allowed to stop new reprocessing contracts for the Thorp plant at Sellafield, the unions argue.

Waste transport

British Nuclear Fuels is expected to return its first high level waste to a customer country in 2007/08 - with Japan the most likely destination. To date only waste from the La Hague reprocessing plant in France has been returned to Japan. Low level waste substitution was approved by the UK government in 1995 and for intermediate level waste late last year. Under this policy LLW and ILW is kept in the UK and the radiological equivalent returned to foreign customers in high level wastes. To date over 10,000 cubic metres of foreign low level waste has already been sent to the Drigg national waste dump.

Nuclear support

The Liberal Democrat minister responsible for renewable energy in the Scottish Executive, Alan Wilson, has said that it is 'inevitable' that new nuclear power stations will be needed in Scotland. He said that nuclear power had served Scotland well in the past and would be needed in the future because of the unreliability of other sources of energy.

Transport accidents

The National Radiological Protection Board has published the report on accidents involving the transport of radiological material in the UK in 2003. There were 11 accidents and incidents during the year, none of which the NRPB says involved a significant radiological consequence. Details at www.nrpb.org/publications/w_series_reports/2004/nrpb_w64.htm

Transport information

The Ministry of Defence has published a new edition of the Local Authority and Civil Emergency Service Information document. It provides information for local authorities, health authorities and emergency services on the contingency arrangements for the transport of MoD nuclear materials. The document is available at www.mod.uk/issues/laes/index.htm

Fuel arrives

A shipment of 276 spent fuel elements from the Lucas Heights reactor in Australia has arrived at the La Hague complex in France for reprocessing. This is the fourth consignment of spent fuel sent to France since Dounreay stopped reprocessing the fuel when its plants were closed nearly 10 years ago.

Closure agreed

The Lithuanian authorities have agreed to the closure of the Ignalina nuclear plant by 2010. The closure of the reactor was one of the preconditions of the country joining the European Union because of safety fears.

Deal approved

British Energy shareholders and creditors have approved the rescue plan for the company.

Closure announced

The Swedish government has announced the second reactor at the Barseback plant will close at the end of May. The first reactor at the site closed in 1999.

Tests start

The new reprocessing plant at Rokkasho, north of Tokyo, has begun testing work using depleted uranium. The plant is scheduled to open in 2008.