Decommissioning and Disposal
When a nuclear power
stationcomes to the end of its useful life, decommissioning of the station
commences with the aim of eventually returning the site to alternative
uses with no nuclear legacy. Dismantling of the station takes place in
stages, taking full account of public safety in containing the radioactivity
at all times.
The nuclear companies' "safestore" decommissioning strategy provides
for reactor defuelling immediately after shutdown, taking 2-3 years and
removing 99.9% of the residual radioactivity. Demolition of non-radioactive
plant and buildings and dismantling of some radioactive plant is then undertaken.
This is followed by the safe and secure maintenance of remaining structures
for up to 135 years before final dismantling and site clearance.This ensures
that radiation has fallen to a safe working level; it also reduces the
amount of radioactive waste.
In its Radioactive
Waste Management Policy Review, the Government acknowledged the suitability
of the safestore strategy. It required operators to submit their decommissioning
proposals every five years for review by the Health and Safety Executive,
in consultation with the Environment Agencies.
Whilst recognising
that the nuclear companies were in the process of making full provision
for decommissioning in their accounts, the Review nevertheless required
the establishment ofsegregated decommissioning funds for the privatised
parts of the industry.
The first commercial
UK reactor to be closed for decommissioning was the Magnox station at
Berkeley. Decommissioning work started in 1989 and is today still progressing to the
care and maintenance stage. The Magnox stations at Trawsfynydd in Snowdonia and at Hunterston in Scotland are also being decommissioned; both have
been defuelled and work is continuing in line with the safestore strategy.
Minimising any adverse impacts onthe environment is a key objective throughout
this work.
When reading about the decommissioning consider the time scale and cost - remember that taxpayers pay for decommissioning - therefore the 'cost' of nuclear energy is a lot higher than it appears - we are still paying for energy that was produced years ago.... nuclear power is not cheap if you include decommissioning cost.
Cost of decommissioning - Telegraph - BBC
NDA