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NuLeAF Steering Group, March 20th 2019
6
Update on national developments in radioactive
waste management
Philip Matthews
This paper provides an update on recent
developments in radioactive waste management
and Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA)
operations

Introduction:
This paper updates members on recent developments in radioactive waste
management and NDA operations. It covers:
• Reports from Theme Overview Group (TOG) and associated meetings;
• Submarine Dismantling Project (SDP;
• BEIS Update;
• NDA Update;
• BEAM; and
• Low Level Waste Repository (LLWR) Update.
Recommendation:
This report is for noting.
1. Reports from Theme Overview Group (TOG) and associated
meetings
1.1 NuLeAF’s Director attended a Site Decommissioning and
Remediation (SDR) Theme Overview Group (TOG) on the 11th
December.
Much of the discussion was on the developing national narrative for the
management of wastes through sustainable remediation of nuclear sites.
NuLeAF and some individual local authorities have submitted detailed
comments on the various drafts of the narrative, and NuLeAF also took part in
a phone discussion on the latest iteration of the document held on the 18th
January. The narrative is intended to help support engagement with local
authorities and stakeholders on proposals for the remediation on sites, with a
focus on options for in-situ or on-site disposal of low-level wastes.
1.2 The SDR TOG also received a presentation from Lucy Howe of NDA on a
current review of the risk analysis tools used, given concerns that the current
means of scoring Safety and Environmental Detriment (SED) has some
weaknesses. SED scoring is used as part of the overall risk and hazard
reduction assessment that forms part of the NDA’s Value Framework.
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 Following the presentation NuLeAF has written to NDA with a series of
questions and comments on the planned revision of the SED assessment.
NuLeAF noted the need to properly address the environmental and public
acceptability aspects of the approach and has requested more information on
whether there are plans to review any other aspect of the Values Framework
at the present time. Although a response has not yet been received, we hope
to be able to provide a verbal update at the meeting.
2. Submarine Dismantling Project
2.1 NuLeAF was involved in the Advisory Group for the Submarine
Dismantling Project (SDP) from 2006 - 2016, which considered how to
manage the radioactive waste from the decommissioning of the UK’s out of
service nuclear powered submarines. Currently located at Rosyth and
Devonport, these submarines contain some Intermediate Level Waste (ILW)
within their Reactor Pressure Vessel (RPV), and some Low-Level Waste
(LLW).
It was decided in 2016 that the ILW waste arising would be stored at
Capenhurst awaiting final disposal in a GDF and, following this decision, the
Advisory Group was disbanded. A contract was signed with Capenhurst,
understood to be worth around £3million per year, but as yet no ILW has
been transported to the site.
The Ministry of Defence (MoD), working with the regulators, has now
indicated it is considering alternative options for the management of the
waste. It is understood that they are in discussion with the NDA who will be
managing an engagement process to gain stakeholder input. NuLeAF, local
authorities and the Nuclear Free Local Authorities (NFLA) will be involved in
the planned engagement and we will notify members we receive more
information.
NuLeAF has already noted to the MOD our concerns about the re-opening of
this process and the need to engage local authorities fully. This is particularly
the case in West Cumbria given that one option under consideration may be
to store the ILW at Sellafield.
3. BEIS update
3.1 In response to a parliamentary question, the Government has set out its
estimate on the financial impact of proposed changes to the regulatory
framework for the final stages of nuclear decommissioning (‘Proportionate
Regulatory Controls’). The Government concludes that the proposals would
result in environmental improvements and significant savings for the tax
payer – estimated as £400 million (net present value) over 17 years and over
£2 billion over the next 100 years, as the Sellafield site is cleaned up. The
Parliamentary statement also notes that, under the proposals, land will be
available for re-use earlier. However, it will remain under regulation by the
relevant environment agency until it can be released for unrestricted use,
which could take many decades.
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 3.2 NuLeAF planning officer members have also been providing comments to
BEIS on the Nuclear Reactors (Environmental Impact Assessment for
Decommissioning) Regulations (EIADR). BEIS has sought local
government views on whether local authorities would be willing to regulate
any Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs) required as part of any work
undertaken on sites after the end of the nuclear license. A significant number
of responses were received and fed back to BEIS. The general view of
members is that local authorities do not have the staff or financial resources
to lead on EIA and could only do so if funding was provided. Members were
uncomfortable about committing future planners to additional responsibilities.
3.3 NuLeAF has been invited to join the Radioactive Substances Policy
Group (RSPG), and the Executive Director participated in a Group meeting
in London on the 6th February. The RSPG involves the UK and Devolved
Administrations along with regulators. It is a forum providing strategic
oversight, direction and collaboration in the UK’s radioactive substances
landscape. The group is developing a recommended work programme and
NuLeAF will attend as and when appropriate.
The 6th February meeting discussed future work plans and also a range of
other issues including Brexit/Euratom, the Nuclear Sector Deal and work on
risk-based disposability. The NDA delivered a presentation on Near Surface
Disposal (NSD). It was stressed that such a facility would only manage a
small proportion of Higher Activity Waste (HAW) and that a Geological
Disposal Facility (GDF) would still be required. Credible strategic options are
under discussion and will be reported back to the RSPG and more widely as
and when available.
4. NDA Update
4.1 The NDA has begun work on preparing a new socio-economic strategy.
This is in response to the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) report on
Sellafield, published in autumn 2018, which criticised the level of economic
benefit that the large amount of public funding allocated to the NDA had
delivered at Sellafield and across the estate1. The PAC recommended action
on education and skills, stimulation of the supply chain and to maximise the
impact of NDA spend on the local, regional and national economy.
NuLeAF’s Executive Director has recently met twice with Andrew Van Der
Lem, NDA’s Head of Government Relations and Socio-Economics, to discuss
the planned Strategy. Further meetings are planned.
It is intended that the Strategy will be published within a year and the NDA
has committed to engage fully with NuLeAF and local authorities. Jacq
Longrigg, Head of Skills and Talent at the NDA, will be giving a presentation
on socio-economics and skills as part of the March Steering Group meeting.
1

https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201719/cmselect/cmpubacc/1375/137507.htm

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 This will provide an early opportunity for members to discuss the planned
strategy, with further engagement planned in the coming months.
4.2 The NDA Stakeholder Summit will be held on Anglesey on the 9th and 10th
July 2019. As in previous years NuLeAF will be working with NDA to
encourage local government attendance and manage travel and
accommodation needs. More information will be circulated in the near future.
4.3 It was reported on the 5th January that the former Chairman and Chief
Executive of the NDA, Stephen Henwood and John Clarke, are involved in a
legal dispute over the conclusions of the Holliday Report into the flawed
process for awarding the Magnox decommissioning contract. It is understood
that the report has been complete for several months, but the legal challenge
has delayed its publication.
5. BEAM
5.1 NuLeAF’s Director recently held a meeting, by phone, with Prof. Richard
Taylor of Manchester University. Prof. Taylor leads The Beam2, a crossdisciplinary research network hosted by the university’s Dalton Nuclear
Institute.
The Beam supports a range of projects, involving physical and social
scientists. Current projects include research on community vulnerability and
wellbeing in Trawsfynydd with other research involving study in West
Cumbria, Anglesey and Somerset. Prof. Taylor is interested in engaging with
local authorities as part of research and has accepted an offer to speak at the
NuLeAF meeting in June.
6. Low Level Waste Repository (LLWR) Update
6.1 LLWR continues to collaborate with RWM and the NDA on the
Integrated Radioactive Waste Programme (IRWP). NuLeAF attended a
workshop on the IRWP held in Manchester on the 10th of December and has
submitted comments on the series of draft topic reports that have been
developed and were issued to stakeholders for review. The topic reports and
the output from the stakeholder workshop will be used to inform the
overarching Baseline Review Report, scheduled for completion by the end of
March.
4.2 LLWR has reported that in recent months around 96% of Low-Level
Waste (LLW) has been diverted from the LLWR site, with around 10,000m3 of
Very Low-Level Waste (VLLW) being sent to permitted landfill. Forward
projects for LLWR include the development of an outline business case for
decay storage of an exemplar short-lived ILW waste, with a Sellafield example
being used. Engagement with stakeholders on this is expected shortly.

2

http://www.mub.eps.manchester.ac.uk/thebeam/category/research/project/

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