N-Base Briefing 176

N-BASE BRIEFING 176 - 18th April 1999

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176.1 Dounreay fuel dilemma

A report on what should happen to the spent fuel remaining at Dounreay has yet to be completed by the operators, UKAEA, and handed to the UK Government. Energy minister John Battle told SNP spokeswoman Roseanna Cunningham that he was still waiting for the report on the options for dealing with the spent fuel from the PFR and DFR decommissioned fast reactors and the other spent fuel at the plant, including the highly-enriched uranium imported from Georgia.

The two reprocessing plants at Dounreay are both closed - the smaller D1204 HEU plant was closed initially due to lack of work and the main D1206 plant initially by a serious leak from a dissolver nearly three years ago. Since then both plants are shut by regulators who severely criticised management and waste handling at the plants and demanded nearly 150 improvements. It is estimated that it would cost upwards of GBP50 million to repair D1206 and carry our improvement works.

Reprocessing at Dounreay is only one option available to the Government - despite earlier claims by ministers that it was the only option. Long-term storage pending prevision of a national repository is one option which involves no reprocessing. Otherwise the fuel could be reprocessed at Dounreay in total, or part or all of it could go to Sellafield. Reprocessing at Cap la Hague in France would be another option. All these options have been previously considered by the government and reprocessing chosen as the preferred option. however, the high cost of repairs is likely to severely undermine the economics of reprocessing and make alternatives viable.

Mr Battle said he would consult with regulators before making a decision and the UKAEA report would then be published.

176.2 News in Brief

Third US reactor for BE ?

British Energy is set to buy its third American nuclear reactor. Together with its partner PECO Energy, the joint venture company AmerGen is set to purchase the Clinton reactor in Illinois.

Depleted uranium in Balkans war

In the aftermath of the Balkans War there is sure to be questions asked about the use of depleted uranium and the likely health implications. The use of the uranium in shells and other weapons in the Gulf War has been considered as one factor in the illnesses termed Gulf War Syndrome and Iraq has claimed an increase in birth defects and cancers. There is also concern at the health implications of the depleted uranium carried on the jet which crashed into a housing estate in Amsterdam a few years ago. Depleted uranium is used in shells, but, so far, these have not been used in the Balkans. However depleted uranium is used in nose cones of some types of Tomahawk cruise missiles, in small calibre shells fired by the A-10 and Harrier aircraft and Apache helicopters.

Underground repositories favoured

A joint report from the Geological Society of London and the British Geological Survey has favoured the deep underground disposal of radioactive waste. The report was the result of a two-day forum with geoscientists which was held in February. Details are available on the Internet at www.geolsoc.org.uk

Radioactive consultation

The UK government is holding a second period of consultation on the implementation of a proposed Euratom directive which would remove restrictions on the use of materials which have low levels of radioactive contamination. One result could be that recycled materials used in the nuclear industry could end in household goods, such as kitchen implements. Details of the consultation are available on the Internet at www.environment.detr.gov.uk/ras/index.htm