N-Base Briefing 179

N-Base Briefing 179 - 9th May 1999

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179.1 Dounreay change of heart ?

Dounreay operators, the UK Atomic Energy Authority, appear to be close to accepting the probable, if not the inevitable likelihood that there may be no further reprocessing work at the Caithness site. Upwards of 20 tonnes of spent fuel from the two closed fast reactors remains on site after the main D1206 reprocessing plant was shut after a serious leak nearly two years ago. Estimates for repairing the plant and meeting all the safety improvements required by regulators start at GBP40 million and could be as high as GBP100 million.

UKAEA is finalising a report to government on what options there are for dealing with the remaining spent fuel. Reprocessing at Dounreay, or at Sellafield, and long-term storage are the three primary options. In the past similar studies have recommended continued reprocessing at Dounreay as the cheaper option and the one likely to result in the lowest exposure for workers - the regulators has said the building, operating and eventual decommissioning of a dedicated store would probably result in higher exposure levels for industry workers.

However, not only has the economic situation changed with the huge repair and improvement costs needed for reprocessing at Dounreay, but the political climate has changed in recent years. The government accepts there will be no further commercial reprocessing at Dounreay - therefore the remaining spent fuel will be the only work for the plant - and support in the new Scottish Parliament cannot be relied upon. The Scottish National Party is committed to ending reprocessing as are the Liberal Democrats and the two Green and Scottish Socialist Party MSPs.

179.2 Dounreay News

Waste in rubble

Radioactive waste has been found in a foreshore dump close to Dounreay. The landfill site was used in the 1960s for an estimated 100,000 cubic metres of waste - all of which should have been non-active. The landfill was on the cliff-edge and coastal erosion over the years has meant that large quantities of the waste has been washed into the sea. Recently low-level radioactive waste was identified throughout the dump, along with chemical and asbestos wastes. Last year Dounreay tried to contain the waste by surrounding the seaward side with a geotextile membrane but a storm tore it within a few months, releasing more rubble into the sea and exposing waste drums in the landfill. Dounreay estimates it will take until 2002 to move the waste and decontaminate the area.

New staff

Dounreay operators UKAEA is recruiting 41 new technicians and engineers are part of its plan to meet the 142 safety improvements demanded by the regulators, the Nuclear Installations Inspectorate. The new staff will work on waste management, decommissioning and other areas of the site's activities.

179.3 News in Brief

Transports are safe

A UK government commissioned study has found that any radioactive contamination of flasks or railway trucks used in transporting nuclear materials, especially spent fuel for reprocessing at Sellafield, is below legal safety limits. Higher than expected contamination levels found on nuclear transports in France, Germany and Switzerland last year resulted in a temporary ban. The French and Swiss governments have since lifted their bans.

Unauthorised waste discharged

The Chapelcross nuclear reactor in south-west Scotland, operated by British Nuclear Fuels, has been officially warned by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency after unauthorised discharges of 26,000 gallons of tritium contaminated waste water into the Solway Firth. The radioactive water was used to cool spent fuel rods and was discharged as a result of human error and poor procedures.