The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority

We believe that the accelerated decommissioning of reactor sites is both feasible and safe. Technically, there are proven techniques using robotic equipment that can be used; other countries like France and Japan are proposing to clear their reactor sites in similar timescales, while UK sites such as Harwell also have established plans to decommission their sites in a prompt, uninterrupted manner. We would not embark on any activity that was unsafe since firstly safety, security and protecting the environment are paramount to us and secondly, the UK’s independent regulators would not allow unsafe practices. We recognise that certain issues (e.g. graphite waste management) need to be addressed before an accelerated decommissioning strategy can be adopted. We intend to develop a business case for accelerating the decommissioning of Magnox (and other) reactors over the next year.