Latest News
22 December 2011
Review of timescales for geological disposal
We have published a preliminary response to the Minister’s request to review the programme for implementing geological disposal of higher activity radioactive waste with a view to bringing the date for first waste emplacement forward from the planned 2040 date to 2029.
21 December 2011
Regulators’ review of the generic DSSC
A joint regulatory review of the NDA Radioactive Waste Management Directorate’s generic Disposal System Safety Case (gDSSC) for disposal of higher activity radioactive waste in a geological disposal facility published.
29 June 2011
Government's first annual report welcomed
The NDA has welcomed the publication of the Government’s first annual report on its Managing Radioactive Waste Safely (MRWS) Programme. The report outlines an ambition to see the Geological Disposal Facility (GDF) accept its first waste by 2029, around 10 years ahead of the current indicative timeline.
25 May 2011
550 jobs could be generated over 140 years
NDA's study shows disposal of UK’s higher activity radioactive waste in an underground engineered facility will generate hundreds of jobs.
23 February 2011
Multi-barrier approach is the key to safe disposal
A multi-barrier approach is key to the safe disposal of the UK’s higher activity radioactive waste.
Bibliography
Radioactive Waste Management
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Planning
Other helpful information is available in our document library and on other organisations' websites.
Planning for geological disposal
Geological Disposal: Steps towards implementation - Executive Summary 2010 (2Mb)
A summary of the full report that describes:
- preparatory work undertaken so far
- planning of our future work programme
- management arrangements to deliver it
Geological Disposal: Steps towards implementation - Full Report 2010 (3Mb)
Describes the preparatory work undertaken so far, including planning of future work programme and the management arrangements to deliver it. This report provides information to a wide range of interested parties on the steps we believe will be required for successful implementation of geological disposal. It also explains how the various activities and outputs of our work programme are designed to achieve a safe, secure, sustainable and publicly acceptable outcome.
Generic Disposal System Safety Case (DSSC) documents
A suite of documents, published in 2011, together form our generic Disposal System Safety Case. These provide information on the work to develop a number of illustrative designs for geological disposal in the UK.
Radioactive Wastes in the UK: The 2010 estimate of radioactive waste for Geological Disposal August 2011 (600Kb)
The objective of this report is to identify whether changes introduced by the 2010 UKRWI have implications for the generic DSSC. In particular this reports aims to:
- set out where findings of the generic DSSC might change
- determine what future research needs are required due to the 2010 UKRWI.
The viability of a phased geological repository concept for the long term management of the UK’s radioactive waste (Nirex Report (N/122) 2005) (2Mb)
This report sets out why Nirex believed that the UK’s long-lived radioactive waste should be placed in a phased geological repository located between 300 and 1,000m deep in stable rock and the reasoning behind these views.
Geological disposal options for HLW and SF (2008) (7Mb)
This report provides information on a range of high level radioactive waste (HLW) and spent nuclear fuel (SF) geological disposal0020concepts, in order to illustrate how geological disposal of HLW and SF might be implemented in the UK.
Concepts for the geological disposal of ILW (2008) (10Mb)
This report provides information concerning the phased geological repository concept (PGRC) which has been developed as the reference option for geological disposal of intermediate level wastes (ILW) and those low level wastes (LLW) not suitable for disposal at the LLW facility near Drigg in Cumbria or at other future near-surface facilities in the UK.
RWMDPP01 Management of wastes from new nuclear power stations position statement February 2009 (38Kb)
As the implementing organisation for geological disposal of higher activity wastes, NDA is supporting the regulators’ Generic Design Assessment of designs for new nuclear power stations. In particular we are considering the disposability of spent fuel. We are examining a number of issues related to the characteristics of this waste and identifying their effects on the long term safety case for disposal.
Early results show that any issues identified are being addressed for the existing legacy wastes and nuclear materials.
