The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority

Storage Review Stakeholder Workshop

17 November 2008

 

A stakeholder workshop on the NDA’s draft Higher Activity Waste Storage Review, provided many comments and views which will be used to reshape the document before it is published.

About 40 stakeholders who were invited to attend the meeting in Manchester at the end of October 2008, were given an opportunity to examine and comment on the draft document.

The Review was produced in response to the Committee on Radioactive Waste Management (CoRWM) Recommendation 2 and to meet the NDA’s strategy commitment to look at the storage arrangements pending the availability of a Geological Disposal Facility.

The review includes storage regimes for solid Intermediate Level Waste (ILW) both raw and immobilised and for High Level Waste across the NDA and non-NDA sites. The data collected for the review reflects the arrangements at that point in time and so is a snapshot of the current situation.

It therefore considered:

• Current storage arrangements
• Hazard Reduction of historical wastes
• Robustness of interim storage in relation to any Geological Disposal Facility timescales, e.g. design lives and waste inventory demands
• Planning constraints and conditions for interim stores
• Storage environmental controls and monitoring/inspection regimes
• Future waste arisings

Graham Jonsson, Head of Higher Activity Waste at the NDA, told the workshop that Government departments had made comments on the draft document but the NDA wanted to ensure it gathered views and comments from a broader group of stakeholders.

At the conclusion of the workshop, Graham said:

“I am delighted by the responses we have received. It has been very informative, interesting and challenging. The comments show how we need to consult to help us get the right answer. The session has allowed us to become better informed on the work we do and to ultimately produce a better quality document.”

He also gave a commitment to keep stakeholders informed on a bi-monthly basis as work on the document continues.

 NDA UK Radioactive Waste Storage Review Stakeholder Workshop Report October 2008 (1Mb)

Following the workshop the document will be extensively redrafted.

The original draft is available on request from w&nmfeedback@nda.gov.uk  and any comments on the document should be submitted by 12th December 2008.