A new report by the Public Accounts Committee finds that the removal of nuclear waste from ageing buildings at Sellafield – the UK’s most hazardous nuclear site – is progressing too slowly. The report warns that additional delays could significantly increase the already considerably high costs of the clean-up process. Among other findings, the report draws attention to the historically poor performance of Sellafield Ltd to deliver major projects. On a different note, the report strongly emphasises the risks posed by the Magnox Swarf Storage Silo (MSSS), which are vividly illustrated by ongoing radioactive water leaks into the ground. The report mentions the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) – the UK’s lead agency for nuclear site decommissioning – as describing the MSSS as the most hazardous building in the country. It also states that the NDA now expects the total cost of cleaning up the Sellafield site and decommissioning its facilities to be 18.8% higher than the estimates made in 2019. The report also points to the need to construct a Geological Disposal Facility (GDF) to permanently store waste, but there is extensive doubt within the industry that this ambition can be met.
NIS has previously reported on plans by the Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE) to send 5,000 barrels of Higher Activity Waste (HAW) for treatment and storage in Sellafield, viewing this option as preferable to building a dedicated on-site waste management facility. This type of waste, which is continually produced through ongoing nuclear operations and the decommissioning of facilities, is defined by the NDA as unsuitable for disposal at current sites; thus requiring specialized waste management facilities. In 2021, the Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR) conducted an inspection of the AWE’s preparedness to package and transport HAW to Sellafield Ltd. While the inspector expressed general satisfaction with AWE’s capability to carry out these tasks, concerns were raised about the lack of sufficient progress in “transitioning the export process and arrangements to the permanent Logistics Facility”, which were deemed as posing long-term risks to on-site hazard reduction.