The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority

Type: Non-Statutory

Starting Date: 21/11/2011

Closing Date: 17/02/2012

After the NDA was formed it inherited a range of contracts covering reprocessing andstorage of oxide spent fuels.

Our strategy for oxide fuels is to honour our contractualobligations and complete the reprocessing contracts in THORP and place any remainingfuels into storage.

THORP was expected to complete the reprocessing contracts by 2010. However, due tooperational difficulties both in THORP and in downstream support plants this has notbeen possible. THORP is now expected to complete the reprocessing contracts in 2018.

In accordance with the commitment given in our 2011 Strategy, the NDA has been investigating whether the current strategy for managing our oxide fuels, compared toother credible alternatives, remains the most cost-effective.

This paper reports the key findings of this review of the underpinning for the strategy. It presents the Credible Options for oxide fuels and our assessment of them against anumber of criteria.

The options considered were;

Option 1: Complete the reprocessing contracts in THORP - the currentstrategy for oxide fuels

Option 2: Reprocess less than the contracted amount of spent fuel in THORP

Option 3: Reprocess more than the contracted amount of spent fuel in THORP.

Comments on the Credible Options for oxide fuels closed on 17 February 2012. The NDA published stakeholder comments in response to the Credible Options Paper and its Preferred Option on Oxide Fuels on 7 June 2012.

This confirms our strategic position as our Preferred Option for oxide fuels, which is that completing the reprocessing contracts in THORP remains a viable and cost-effective strategy and that we plan to place the remaining AGR fuel, including any future arisings, into interim storage pending a decision to dispose to a Geological Disposal Facility.  

Credible Options Paper for Comment

  Oxide Fuels - Credible Options (500Kb) 

Response Documents

 Oxide Fuels - Stakeholder comments in response to Credible Options June 2012 (600Kb)

 Oxide Fuels - Preferred Option June 2012 (600Kb)