ISSUE 6 2011 INSIGHT into nuclear decommissioning

Jobs for the future

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Turbine hall set for demolition

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Dealing with the past. Protecting the future. Contents Equipment sent to assist 3 Fukushima communications Japanese recovery effort challenge

4-5 Support for workforces The NDA, along with many other organisations 6-7 Accelerated sites update and countries, has sent specialist equipment to 8 Waste firms join ILW programme Japan after a request for assistance was made 9 Jobs for the future through the UK’s Department of Energy and 10 New waste route opens up Climate Change. 11 Machine sucks up sludge Sellafield Ltd were asked to take packaged up as air freight and sent the lead in co-ordinating with the to Japan. 12 Land restored rest of the NDA’s sites to collect spare radiological measuring and Chief Executive Tony Fountain 13 Enabling investment protection equipment that would said: "I would like to thank and congratulate those at Sellafield, 14-15 New options for LLW contribute to Japanese efforts to manage the situation at the Dounreay, Magnox and INS who 16 Norwegian dialogue damaged Fukushima plant. worked tirelessly to harness their resources and provide assistance 17 Harbour expands Staff from Dounreay drove through to our colleagues in the Japanese the night with a van full of equipment nuclear industry at this very 18 Vault excavations such as respirators, hand-held challenging time." radiation survey equipment, 19 Tanks create atmosphere personal dosimeters, dust masks The Japanese embassy had made the request to DECC for a range of 20 Research forum meets and protective suits to the collection point in Cumbria. Together with specialist equipment. stock from other sites, it was

Welcome to the May 2011 edition of Insight magazine, the NDA's round-up of activities across the estate.

If you would like to receive copies on a regular basis, do send in a request. In the meantime, we would be interested in Damage to the Fukushima plant, above, led to the evacuation of residents hearing your views and and the monitoring of radiation levels, below any suggestions for improving the format.

Comments to the editor Deborah Ward on 01925 802343 or [email protected]

Front cover: Demolition work being carried out at Bradwell INSIGHT - ISSUE 6 2011

2 Guest viewpoint

John McNamara, Head of Media and PR at the Nuclear Industry Association (NIA), looks at the communications challenges in the wake of the Fukushima tragedy. The NIA is the trade association and representative voice of Britain's civil nuclear industry.

Facing up to the Fukushima challenge

Now three months on from the worst nuclear accident since Chernobyl, the global nuclear industry is still coming to terms with perhaps its most challenging of communications issues. In fact, although the headlines have long since faded, it’s hard to think of a more severe test for the industry’s communicators.

The world will remember Fukushima easy to keep the flow of real-time against the backdrop of sheer information moving. destruction and sorrow that the worst-ever recorded earthquake But where does the industry go now and tsunami wreaked on the people that the situation has stabilised? of Japan. The recent report by our Chief They will remember TV replays of Nuclear Inspector Mike Weightman nuclear power station explosions has brought reassurance that the and the thousands of people UK’s response will be measured. forced to leave their homes and Although Dr Weightman notes that possessions. an earthquake of such massive proportions is far beyond anything They will wonder about the future of the UK is ever likely to experience, nuclear in their own countries and he recognises that the industry must whether the recent renaissance is respond - indeed that it is already already doomed. responding - and that lessons learned will be applied rigorously. Nuclear has always been a “tough one” for communicators – but as His initial findings are positive in we have seen in recent years, the terms of new nuclear build in the UK, public’s opinion has improved, the professional management and and pre-Fukushima there was a safety of our current installations and strengthening political consensus in the clear and simple message they behind the industry. send to a concerned general public: Nuclear is safe. We look forward to The NIA’s role as the nuclear publication of the full report. industry’s trade association has been threefold. Firstly we have taken the On a wider communications level lead in keeping member companies with the media, politicians and and associates informed of the day- general public, we will need to find to-day implications. out where we stand. The NIA will be undertaking some “mid-term” public We have also taken the lead in opinion polling to find out how, if at dealing with media enquiries or all, Fukushima has changed people’s helping to find the right person to perception of nuclear. speak to the media. And thirdly, we John McNamara have taken a lead in dealing with the Other polls suggest that the public public’s views of nuclear still support nuclear at the heart post-Fukushima. of a future low-carbon economy, through this September’s party confirming that Fukushima has so far conference season. We will also Working closely with the World not fundamentally changed views. engage with the media, use speaking Nuclear Association, with whom we opportunities, the website and other share our office in London, and the We also need to start re-engaging social media outlets to help reinforce INSIGHT - ISSUE 6 2011 IAEA, we have also relied heavily on with people. Politicians will need our key messaging that nuclear daily reports from Tepco, who own to reassure themselves that their should be at the heart of our low- the Fukushima plant and just happen previous support for nuclear is well- carbon economy going forward. to be NIA members. So it has been placed. So we plan to fully engage 3 Socio-economic support

Support for communities facing job losses The NDA is investing millions of pounds to support the retraining of site workforces in regions that are particularly vulnerable to the impact of future closures. Working in partnership with other contributed a sum of £808,875 while Cleaning up the Dounreay site local authority, business and training Dounreay Site Restoration Ltd will accounts for more than 10% of the organisations, a range of initiatives provide £100,000 per year over the current GDP of the North Highlands, are being implemented to assist three-year programme. while many more businesses benefit staff seeking to acquire new skills, indirectly from consumer spending. alternative career opportunities or An estimated 2,000 jobs will setting up businesses. disappear over the coming years Dounreay has reduced its workforce both from the site itself and by approximately 300 in the last five Priority support is being targeted at associated businesses as clean- years, to the current level of 900, and regions where NDA sites dominate up and demolition of the former will continue to shrink as more of the the local economy and there are research site nears completion. site is cleaned up and demolished. few obvious alternatives for the displaced workers who will be Caithness Chamber of Commerce At Chapelcross in the Borders, affected in the years ahead. The is leading the Make the Right meanwhile, the 300-strong workforce funding is tailored to reflect the Connections initiative to harness is set to drop by 80% over the next characteristics and needs of workforce expertise in the area, six years as the site approaches each region. initially carrying out an audit a phase of less intensive on-site of existing skills and business activity before final site clearance. In Caithness, a £2.2 million capabilities and then matching these programme has just been agreed with opportunities in new industry The Beyond Chapelcross initiative, to assist Dounreay staff and supply through retraining, business growth supported by £1.2 million from the chain businesses in adjusting to the and marketing. NDA, is designed to strengthen and site’s eventual closure. The NDA has diversify the local business base Clean-up bodies in jobs pledge

Representatives of the Caithness nuclear industry have signed a “socio- economics partnering charter” to improve employment prospects for workers whose jobs currently depend on Dounreay.

The NDA, contractor Babcock and the Site Licence Company Dounreay Site Restoration Ltd will work together to contribute to regeneration of the North Highlands as the nuclear site is decommissioned and jobs disappear. The NDA spends about £150 million a year on work to clean up and close down Dounreay. About £80 million of this goes into the local economy in salaries, contracts and purchases. "The work being carried out in this area is groundbreaking for the NDA,” said NDA Chief Executive Tony Fountain. “This approach, which will be a contractual requirement in the new PBO Tony is pictured signing the Socio-Economic and Stakeholder INSIGHT - ISSUE 6 2011 contract, ensures we make best charter, along with (from the left) Relations Manager Anna use of our combined resources to Babcock Non-Executive Director MacConnell and DSRL Managing focus on delivering socio-economic Martin Austick, Ken Nicol, DSRL Director Simon Middlemas. 4 initiatives quickly and effectively.” Socio Economic Manager, NDA and help members of the workforce to find alternative employment in the region. It will be delivered by Magnox Ltd, in partnership with Dumfries and Galloway Council. The initiative complements the existing Chapelcross Industry Park project – to which the NDA has committed £2.5 million – which will provide much-needed space for business start-ups. NDA funding will add significant value to existing schemes, including the Prince’s Scottish Youth Trust Board (PSYBT) and Financial Assistance to Small Businesses (FSAB), and unlock the delivery of more than £1 million worth of local Retraining will assist the workforce in finding new careers regeneration projects for the towns of Gretna, Annan and Lockerbie. The scheme has the full support Nuclear partners agree of local stakeholders, including MP David Mundell, who chairs the on staff transfers Corridor Regeneration Strategy (CoReS) Steering Group, and An agreement has been signed to enable staff Scottish Enterprise. transfers between the Magnox sites and EDF And in North Wales, the £4 million Shaping the Future initiative is Energy, which operates the UK’s existing fleet of already under way, helping many nuclear power stations and is developing plans for of the 1,200 staff of Trawsfynydd and Wylfa to prepare for life once the next generation. the sites begin to wind down activities. Both sites are significant A key part of the Magnox mission future in nuclear power and contributors to the regional economy is to reduce staff numbers as electricity generation.” of North West Wales. decommissioning sites progress to the Care and Maintenance phase Dr Andy Spurr, Managing Director With a £1.2 million NDA contribution when the spent fuel is removed of EDF Energy’s existing nuclear and backed by the European Social and the reactors are sealed up. business, said: “The agreement Fund through the Welsh Assembly recognises our mutual interests Government, the scheme will The agreement between Magnox in maintaining the pool of suitably be delivered by project delivery Ltd and EDF Energy will formalise qualified and experienced people organisation Menter Môn. the options available for some within the UK nuclear businesses Magnox staff who wish to transfer and will enable us to recruit high- The aim is to harness skills mixes to nearby generating stations calibre employees to meet skill from both workforces and the local owned by EDF Energy. Careful requirements of both organisations supply chain in order to retain management of staff releases will and, importantly, retain key experience, boost employment and enable Magnox to retain essential skills and experience within the generate new enterprise in skills for as long as they are nuclear industry. the region. needed while still providing career “EDF Energy’s plans for new opportunities for its employees. Shaping the Future will offer one-to- nuclear will create thousands of one mentoring and the development Neil Baldwin, Managing Director of jobs over the next few years. We of individual action plans to address Magnox Ltd, said: “The managed also need to continue to run our skills gaps and regional need. transfer of staff is a key part of existing fleet of nuclear power our plans as we move through stations around the UK. In addition, it will offer a programme the transition from generation into to retrain and re-skill the workforce “We are doing a lot with schools decommissioning and through to as well as help individuals into jobs and colleges to encourage Care and Maintenance. or to start up their own ventures. young people to study STEM “While it is clear that the subjects and join the industry as future of Magnox - beyond the apprentices and graduate trainees. next five years – is all about But the addition of staff who are INSIGHT - ISSUE 6 2011 decommissioning, this type of already experienced in the nuclear agreement provides options for our industry is an opportunity not to be missed.” employees who see their 5 Waste management

Dealing with waste at Trawsfynydd At Trawsfynydd, there are seven key projects to achieving the ‘Accelerated Plan’, and all are so far, on or ahead of schedule. As Site Director Dave Wilson Some of the achievements to of destroying radioactive waste oil says: "It's a real challenge to date include the transfer, ahead of and the potential recycling of ILW progress work towards Care and schedule, of 53 packages to the Fuel Element Debris. Most wet Maintenance at the Trawsfynydd site Intermediate Level Waste (ILW) store, waste has already been retrieved on an accelerated timescale. A huge the only such operational store in and encapsulated, however, the amount of decommissioning work the Magnox fleet. It is estimated that remaining material requires remotely has already been undertaken and we there are around 288 packages to be controlled retrieval, and the focus is remain committed to working safely loaded in total. on developing the right equipment to and efficiently towards this important complete this. milestone for the NDA and the UK In terms of waste, the site team is taxpayer." investigating innovative methods Major work is also under way on the reactor buildings, where internal capping roofs are being completed to enable the building height to be reduced, structural repairs are ongoing while asbestos and plant are being removed. Other vital work includes the ongoing ponds project, where scabbling of the contaminated concrete surface is under way and will lead to eventual demolition of the complex. The ponds team also designed an award-winning, innovative piece of equipment for lifting plant out of the pond lanes – collecting Idea of the Year in the Health and Safety Category at Ideas UK.

Work is being completed on the internal capping roofs INSIGHT - ISSUE 6 2011

6 A waste package is transferred into the ILW store Site restoration

Two Magnox sites are pushing ahead with work to accelerate decommissioning and reach the ‘Care and Maintenance’ milestone years ahead of schedule. Trawsfynydd and Bradwell are clearing hazards, removing redundant plant in preparation for demolition and testing innovative practices in order to set a benchmark for the remaining Magnox sites. ‘Care and Maintenance’ (C&M) marks the phase when all major decommissioning work is complete, leaving only a waste store and the sealed reactors which will be monitored until final dismantling starts in around 60 years time, when the deep Geological Disposal Facility (GDF) is expected to be operational. Trawsfynydd is due to enter C&M in 2016, five years earlier than originally planned, while Bradwell will save 12 years by reaching C&M in 2015. The timeframe for both sites is challenging – but achievable – and the workforces are seizing the opportunity to lead the way for the rest of the fleet.

Bringing the hall down at Bradwell

Pond clean-out is a priority, and significant progress has been achieved

Preparations for through, and will go through, some objectives of this project safely testing times due to the nature of the and successfully.” demolition of the works to be undertaken. On the reactors, work is under way turbine hall are forging “However, with determination, drive to remove redundant pipework, while ahead at Bradwell. and expertise, both our contractor the ponds project is steaming ahead and staff working together as one with the use of new equipment to The project team has been busy team have the ability to deliver the remove furniture and sludge. stripping metal, removing asbestos, knocking down ancillary buildings and ensuring all projects are on track As for what’s left …. to deliver the tight milestones. A few interesting facts about the waste: The latest success is the demolition of the auxiliary turbine hall, following • More than 200 shipments of waste taken from the site. on from the completion of other key • 2,429 tonnes of mixed metal recycled. facilities including the main control room, water treatment plant and the • 62 tonnes of waste, comprising spoil and rubble, disposed of. INSIGHT - ISSUE 6 2011 battery room. • 31 tonnes of asbestos removed since deplant and demolition started in Graham Cotton, Project Manager, the construction, design and maintenance area of the turbine hall. said: “The project has been 7 Waste management

Waste firms join ILW Technical programme strategy Six specialist firms have signed up to support published the Magnox Intermediate Level Waste (ILW) The NDA’s Radioactive Waste programme. Management Directorate (RWMD) has published its Geological Framework contracts worth more the Berkeley vaults since the start Disposal: Technical Strategy to than £350 million have been of decommissioning, meeting a support the preparatory stages of awarded to retrieve waste from target set by the NDA. Fuel Element geological disposal programme vaults at eight sites, process it and Debris (FED) was retrieved from for higher activity radioactive fill Gesellschaft für Nuklear-Service vault two using a remotely controlled wastes in the UK. (GNS) Yellow Boxes for interim manipulator. Each grab load of FED The strategy is complementary storage and potentially final disposal. was loaded into a box liner that was to the Geological Disposal: suspended in the vaults and filled Steps towards implementation Babcock International, in five stages. After each stage, the report published in 2010 which Nuvia, EnergySolutions, NSG liner and contents were withdrawn set out an overview of RWMD’s Environmental, Spencer Atkins and for radiological assessment to programme. Both documents TSIF ILW are the companies selected confirm dose rate limits were as are available on the NDA following a competition process. expected. Once full, the liner was website: http://www.nda.gov. Steve Templar, ILW Programme lowered into the GNS container and uk/stakeholders/newsletter/ Director, said: “We’ve searched the lid bolted in position. the market for existing solutions technical-strategy.cfm to reduce expensive development Chris Barnes, Project Manager, said: Bruce McKirdy, RWMD’s costs and deliver increased value.” “This is a fantastic achievement Managing Director, said: “The for Magnox. It was a challenging strategy document focuses on The contracts were finalised as target that was achieved through the technical work that we will the first ILW was retrieved from the application of simple techniques undertake in the preparatory combined with great teamwork.” studies phase of the programme. The Berkeley vaults and chute It sets out how these activities silo contain approximately 1,515 will be managed and considers cubic metres of ILW generated what we need to do in the future. from the operational years of the We do not have a site yet, so power station and laboratories. The we concentrate on developing majority of the waste is removed a disposal system using generic from the Magnox fuel casing prior geological environments. The to its shipment to Sellafield for selection of a site will come reprocessing. from the UK Government led Managing Radioactive Waste However, given the nature of the Safely programme which is based research work undertaken within on voluntarism and partnership the laboratories, there are other with potential host communities.” waste streams unique to Berkeley, which will eventually need to be A number of strategic activities segregated and stored. The chute have been developed that silo also contains Miscellaneous represent the key components Active Components (MAC) such as of the RWMD programme. the charge chutes and control rods These are directly linked to the removed from both reactors. RWMD mission and programme objectives ensuring complete The results of the recent project integration of activities. We will will inform future plans for bulk work with waste producers retrieval at Berkeley and elsewhere to identify and deliver optimal in Magnox. solutions to the management of higher activity waste. We Meanwhile at Bradwell, three burst welcome feedback on the detection probes were packaged strategy and if you have any into a GNS Yellow Box, as work comments or observations continues to demonstrate the INSIGHT - ISSUE 6 2011 please let us know. Contact viability of the containers with a details are given at the front of range of different waste types. the report or can be emailed to A container is unloaded prior to [email protected] 8 being filled Geological disposal

An artist’s impression of how the surface facilities might look Underground disposal will sustain hundreds of jobs Disposal of the UK’s higher activity radioactive waste in an underground engineered facility will generate an average of 550 jobs over its 140-year lifespan, according to a newly published NDA study. The facility will require hundreds of skilled workers During the construction and early The initial work to investigate required and these range from semi- operations stage of the £12 billion the potential geology at selected skilled – NVQ/SNVQ entry level to project, workforce numbers will peak candidate site(s) could take about 10 post-graduate. The majority of these at more than 1,000 staff. years and will require an average of jobs will require skilled people.” around 440 staff. Steve Reece, the NDA’s Disposal The study was produced using Facility Development Manager, said: Once the geology is deemed benchmarking against similar “The manpower requirements will be suitable and following planning and programmes around the world, discussed with local communities other approvals, construction of the including Sweden and Finland; who express an interest in hosting surface and underground facilities through analysing typical such a facility. This could include up to the first waste disposal (about underground construction activities training, development and education 15 years) will require an average such as sinking shafts and investment to ensure that local of around 840 staff, while the next tunnelling. people have the necessary skills 100 operational years will require required by the project.” an average of around 560 staff. The The study assumes the facility could closure phase of about 10 years be built in a hard rock environment It will be some years before a will require an average of around and is based on the disposal of the geological disposal facility, which 190 staff. baseline inventory of waste set could be between 200 and 1,000 out in the Government’s MRWS metres underground, comes to Steve Reece added: “The study White Paper. fruition. The Government is leading shows a geological disposal facility on the site selection process for higher activity radioactive waste The eventual site could be in a using the internationally accepted will provide a local community with different rock formation and the approach of voluntarism and significant social and economic amount of waste to be disposed of partnership with local communities. benefits over a long period of time could change. Both factors would INSIGHT - ISSUE 6 2011 This process is set out in its from the employment it generates. have an impact on staffing levels and Managing Radioactive Waste Safely As well as considering the overall will be taken into account as the site (MRWS) White Paper which was number of jobs to be created we selection process proceeds. published in 2008. have also considered the skill levels 9 Waste management

Treatment and disposal route established for ‘orphan’ waste Teams at Sellafield are celebrating after successful trials to establish a new treatment and disposal route for contaminated Low Level Waste (LLW) oil, a historic waste that has until now been regarded as a challenging ‘orphan’ waste.

Orphan wastes are non-standard the best option, engagement with route is a key contributor to our types of LLW that cannot currently the regulators was undertaken to ability to offer timely, cost-effective be disposed of at the UK’s national enable the necessary discharge and environmentally sound waste Low Level Waste Repository (LLWR) authorisation changes required management for the Sellafield site.” - for example because they do not to take place. Sellafield Ltd meet the Conditions For Acceptance was granted a variation by the Two trials involved a range of and do not have a defined route for Environment Agency in 2010. processes as well as repackaging either treatment or disposal. the oil into containers compliant Work has been undertaken by for transport and treatment and Completion of the trials represents Sellafield Ltd’s Solid Waste marshalling of the waste and transfer the first-ever volume of LLW- Operating Unit (OU) working with to the facility. contaminated oils to be sent from engineering company the Sellafield site for incineration in P C Richardson, the Solid Waste Paul McDonald, Waste Advisor, the UK. Handling Team, Transportation and Richard Kipling, Solid Waste Logistics, Facility Characterisation Technical Manager who worked The trials successfully tested the and LLWR Ltd, as well as the alongside Helen throughout the process and route which involves various waste generator plants project, said: “The successful trials transporting oil to a thermal during 2010/11 to trial the route and have proven that Sellafield Ltd now treatment centre for disposal, and commission it for use. has a viable treatment route for a will be instrumental in dealing with a waste stream previously considered site inventory of approximately Helen Cassidy, from the Solid an orphan waste - this is a major 250 cubic metres of LLW- Waste Technical team, said: “The achievement in reducing the waste contaminated oil. Following a study identification and opening of this inventory on the site.” that identified thermal treatment as new waste treatment and disposal INSIGHT - ISSUE 6 2011

10 From the left, Helen Cassidy, Paul McDonald and Richard Kipling The Sludge Retrieval Hood in operation at the open air pond Unique project clears sludge from Sellafield’s oldest pond A new machine that sucks up sludge is helping to safely decommission the world’s largest open air nuclear fuel storage pond.

The Sellafield sludge retrieval project currently undergoing inactive very first nuclear fuel storage pond has taken nine years of work, commissioning. at Sellafield and sludge, in the form requiring significant engineering of algae, corrosion products and on the 60-year-old plant, as well as The project is also cleaning sludge wind-blown material, has been the design of bespoke equipment from open-topped metal skips accumulating ever since. It was built to operate in an underwater, stored in the pond. There were to store nuclear fuel and isotopes radioactive environment. around 180 skips and 24 have now from the Windscale Reactors that been emptied, cleaned and exported produced nuclear materials for the The Pile Fuel Storage Pond (PFSP) to create space. defence industry. poses one of Sellafield’s most challenging decommissioning Steve Cottam, Head of PFSP Sludge retrieval operations projects and an accelerated Programme Acceleration, said: commenced in 2008, when water programme of work is underway. “Decommissioning the PFSP has lances were deployed in the bays been hampered by the layer of to flush the sludge into the main The machine, known as the Sludge sludge on the pond floor and in the pond. However it is only now that Retrieval Hood, was designed and metal skips. We’ve had to come up a machine has been developed to built to suck up radioactive sludge with an innovative solution to remove move sludge from the main from the pond floor. The PFSP this radioactive sludge to allow the pond itself. contains more than 15,000 cubic pond to be emptied. metres of radioactive water, more Kevin Newland, PFSP Technical than 300 cubic metres of sludge, “It is quite exciting to see the plant Manager, added: “Decommissioning various nuclear wastes and legacy make the transition into full-blown the PFSP is a unique piece of spent nuclear fuel. retrieval operations. Getting to this work. Because the pond is open stage has, however, been a series of air, we have to proceed with the Radiation levels mean that the challenges. Equipment was initially utmost caution as there is no Sludge Retrieval Hood has to be designed based on existing drawings building to contain any radioactive deployed and operated remotely at and plant records, but we quite often contamination. We need to prevent the bottom of the six-metre deep discovered that conditions were not any radioactive materials being pond, where it sucks up some 25 as expected, and sometimes had to released into the environment and so cubic metres of material per hour. make last-minute modifications to we’re looking for new and innovative INSIGHT - ISSUE 6 2011 The sludge is then transferred into equipment. Even now we still find techniques to successfully complete the Sludge Corral, where it will be unexpected things!” the project.” stored pending treatment through the Local Sludge Treatment Plant, The PFSP, built in 1948, was the 11 Site restoration

Land to be marketed for development The eastern area of the Harwell site is now on the verge of de-designation, enabling the land to be marketed for commercial development. De-designation is the final step in Nuclear Site Licence. that is developing the wider Harwell achieving restoration of the land Oxford campus. and marks the culmination of more RSRL Site Director Alan Neal than 20 years of remediation and said: "Delicensing by the ONR The campus, a world-leading demolition work. and de-designation by the NDA location for business, science and demonstrates that our work is done technology, is a public-private The area once housed a range of on this part of the site. The land can partnership between the Science legacy facilities and historically now be reused without any concern and Technology Facilities Council, important reactors, including about its previous history. UK Atomic Energy Authority western Europe’s very first reactor, and Goodman. built in 1946 and known as GLEEP "This is a real achievement for RSRL (Graphite Low Energy Experimental and the culmination of many years The Joint Venture was established Pile), as well as the 40-metre high of hard work. I would like to thank in 2008 to deliver the Government’s Tandem generator from 1958. everyone involved in realising this vision for the creation of a world- significant milestone. The NDA is class centre for science, technology As part of the formal process to currently working with RSRL on and innovation. Harwell Oxford is release the land, the Office for the de-designation, expected to be now occupied by a range of more Nuclear Regulation (ONR) has complete in the next few months, than 150 research organisations and issued a variation to remove part of after which the land will be released science-focused businesses. the Eastern Area Facility from the to the partnership

Business optimisation Industry accolade for rail subsidiary The NDA’s rail transport subsidiary Direct Rail Services (DRS) has collected a prestigious industry award as the UK’s ‘Best Performing Rail Freight Operator’.

DRS, based in Carlisle, which award goes to our workforce who since the early 60s, travelling more transports nuclear material and deserve recognition for these than eight million miles without any conventional freight across the UK, tremendous efforts.” incident involving the release of also received further recognition as radioactive material. the most improved rail operator on DRS, which has depots around performance over the whole year. the country and a staff of almost The company is also collaborating 300 people, has been part of the with the Port of Workington in The awards, which are based on NDA since 2005. Its initial focus Cumbria on improved rail capability validated industry statistics, confirm was nuclear but the business has that will assist in opening up the DRS as the leading rail freight diversified into more general freight area’s trading route with the rest operator in the UK. services which now account for of Europe. The NDA and Nuclear more than half of its operations. Management Partners (NMP), the The Golden Whistle Awards are parent body of Sellafield Ltd, have organised by the Institute of Railway Nuclear material, including spent invested significant levels of funding Operators (IRO) in conjunction fuel, has been transported by rail to improve infrastructure at the port. with Modern Railways Magazine to celebrate operational excellence in the industry. and to recognise the fact that sound operating practices are essential to run the safe, punctual and successful rail operations. Neil McNicholas, DRS Managing Director, said: “This achievement is INSIGHT - ISSUE 6 2011 a reflection of the commitment and effort from the DRS team in ensuring our services are the best in the 12 industry. Credit for this prestigious Nuclear flasks in transit by rail Asset management

So far, 10% of the land-holdings have been sold into the private sector, which has reduced NDA liabilities and enabled investment in both business and job opportunities. There is potential for selling a further 15-20% of the remaining 2,900 hectares in the near future. Releasing land involves a series of steps to ensure that all contamination has been addressed and that Government Ministers are willing to lift the NDA’s statutory responsibilities. Delicensing of land A ruined castle is just one of the NDA's unusual assets that has been part of a nuclear- licensed site requires consent from the regulators, while ‘de-designation’ marks the final, legal completion of Return of land enables the NDA’s remit. private-sector investment The first de-designation took place last year, when an area around the With thousands of trees, several nature reserves, size of four football pitches was released at Capenhurst, and will be a stone circle and 19 nuclear sites, management redeveloped by neighbouring nuclear of the NDA’s landholdings is, to say the least, a business Urenco. Land at Harwell, Berkeley and Oldbury, meanwhile, is varied challenge. also undergoing the delicensing and de-designation process. The land A “diverse portfolio” is how Head of "The assets were wide-ranging at Oldbury, along with a greenfield Property David Atkinson sums up and sometimes rather unexpected. site at Wylfa, may be used for the complex set of assets handed We inherited a ruined castle at the construction of the UK’s next to the NDA six years ago via its Dounreay and a stone circle near generation of nuclear power stations. predecessor organisations, the Sellafield, for example. We also have UKAEA and BNFL. hundreds of tenants, often farmers The goal is always focused on working the land around our sites securing best commercial value Today, those assets yield £7 million but also businesses and residential for the taxpayer. At Hinkley A, for of annual income from rents and households. Managing these, as example, an agreement was recently service charges, while recent land can be imagined, is interesting and reached with EDF Energy, who plan sales and transfers will bring in frequently requires a non-standard to develop a new nuclear power capital receipts of £450 million, vital approach.” station on adjacent land and will now contributions to a decommissioning use the basement of the redundant mission that is heavily funded by the The nature reserves and other turbine hall to deposit spoil from Government. unusual assets are managed in line excavations. As well as avoiding the with UK biodiversity policies, or, But in the NDA’s early days, the need for lorries to take the material where appropriate guidelines for along village roads, the agreement most immediate task was to unravel preserving ancient sites. and understand the patchwork will reduce decommissioning costs of properties and land under its The NDA’s property company was at Hinkley A. ownership before arriving at a established as a separate business There are also opportunities decision on how to maximise their entity and its operations underpin to facilitate renewable energy value. As well as the land occupied the broader technical mission of developments such as wind, by nuclear facilities, for example, nuclear clean-up by focusing on the wave and tidal through making land many additional parcels of land were return of restored land to the private available adjacent to or on inherited, lying outside the area sector, facilitating the competition existing sites. regulated by the nuclear licence but process and taking advantage of important for infrastructure, potential emerging opportunities with new “Our land has the potential to expansion or rights of way. The energy developments. be re-used, often for economic potential existed to make development, and we have a use of these. With site restoration as the ultimate responsibility to extract maximum goal of the NDA’s strategy, the value for the taxpayer. As the David said: “We started from scratch property company is pursuing the drive for renewables gathers pace, aiming to carry out an inventory and release of a number of sites that particularly offshore, we are able have been learning all the time. The have been decontaminated and are to work towards realising these INSIGHT - ISSUE 6 2011 records were poor, though, and each ready to be marketed as brownfield opportunities, which bring benefit of the sites had their own domain or greenfield land - a landmark to both the local and national which created difficulties in trying to step in demonstrating that tangible economy,” said David. arrive at an overview. progress has been made. 13 Waste management

Waste disposal is the last option A tour around the Low Level Waste Repository (LLWR) is a fairly peaceful experience: the surroundings are typical rural Cumbria, with a quiet village and the towering Lakeland fells in the distance. Grey buildings are dotted around the grassy site and the occasional truck drives slowly by, hinting at industrial activity somewhere. Wildlife exists in abundance and is quantities of new waste are now and military nuclear sites, medical zealously protected: Deer, otters, diverted away from this site, where establishments, research facilities natterjack toads, great crested space is limited, to more appropriate and commercial organisations. newts all have a home here, and are solutions. encouraged to thrive. The impetus for the new strategy Last year’s UK Strategy for the came from Government policy, There are few visible signs of the Management of Solid Low Level formulated in 2007 and is driven by intense drive that has been taking Radioactive Waste from the environmental considerations, which place over the last few years to Nuclear Industry, published by the require more emphasis on upfront develop alternative ways of dealing NDA, led to the latest initiatives waste prevention, reducing the with the Low Level Radioactive which developed in parallel with amount of waste generated, reuse, Waste (LLW) produced around the strategy and in collaboration recycling and recovering some kind the UK. In line with EU and UK with all the organisations that of value. The goal is that disposal to environmental directives, large generate LLW. These include civil a near-surface facility such as LLWR, or other specified landfill, should be the last resort for material that can’t Low levels of radioactivity be treated elsewhere. LLW covers a wide variety of everyday material that has become slightly This waste hierarchy in turn drives radioactive such as rubble from demolished buildings, metals, overalls, the approach successfully being wood, paper, rags, tools, glass, concrete, clothing, filters, etc. It is safe to implemented for LLW nationwide, in handle and comprises by far the largest amount of radioactive waste from which LLWR plays a leading role. the nuclear industry – millions of tonnes in total – but contains only a tiny fraction of the radioactivity, 0.01%. LLWR, near the village of Drigg, is still the only repository for most of The quantities, however, are still very small in comparison to the the nation’s LLW, as it has been for 335,000,000 tonnes of waste generated by households and other more than 50 years, but it now has industries each year. an additional function as a broker, Standing motionless next to LLWR’s perimeter fence for an entire year offering advice, guidance and would give a barely measurable increase in an individual’s average alternative disposal routes for the radiation dose received over the same period from naturally occurring various different kinds of material. sources such as cosmic rays, the ground, the atmosphere and Already, far less waste is being medical procedures. consigned to the repository. From a INSIGHT - ISSUE 6 2011

14 A container is manoeuvred into place at Vault 9 Waste is grouted with a cement mix before being placed in vault

2006 peak of around 740 containers in the UK. A key requirement is “The new transportation container a year arriving for disposal, there are that material is segregated by the will last 10 years and can be re-used now more like 300 a year. producer into different waste types hundreds of times, which is clearly at the site where it arises. Often, the more environmentally acceptable as “That is more than 1,000 tonnes waste no longer even needs to pass well as cheaper than the standard diverted in the last 12 months,” said through the repository. single-use containers,” said Dave. LLWR’s Managing Director Dick Raaz. “And we believe our efforts One option is metal recycling, LLWR is also working on more will see overall cost savings for which involves off-site treatment flexible solutions for waste taxpayers in the region of £2 billion such as melting or shot-blasting. categorised as Very Low Level, – that is the saving on potentially This removes contamination, which typically has concentrations having to build another repository if leaving clean metal that can then of radioactivity just above natural this one were to reach capacity. be recycled in the conventional background levels. This will include scrap metal market, together with a using suitably licensed conventional “We know from existing Lifetime reduced volume of secondary waste landfill sites, reflecting Government Plans, published as recently for disposal at LLWR. More than policy and helping to preserve the as 2008-2009, that the cost of 95% of the original metal can be capacity of the repository. managing LLW, and there’s more retrieved in this way. than three million cubic metres of There were more than 60 different it, will be around £10 billion, which Another option for suitable material initiatives under way, said Dick, is accounted for in the funding is combustion, using existing which will make a significant provision. Our objective is to put in facilities with the appropriate contribution to implementation of place measures that will reduce that permits, both in the UK and the strategy. “The pace of change figure by as much as possible.” overseas. The first shipment, is unbelievable. This tiny site is a around two tonnes, recently passed major strategic project for the UK. Dave Rossiter, Head of National through a facility in the South of The need for another repository Strategy Implementation, pointed England that generates electricity was looming in 2008 but now we’re out that the rigorous level of via the combustion process. Volume confident that we have deferred that environmental protection provided reduction is more than 90%. for decades, possibly eliminated by LLWR’s highly engineered vaults it altogether.” was simply not necessary for certain LLWR also offers high-force kinds of LLW, and the alternatives compaction treatment to crush Jo Van Straaten, the NDA’s National can be both better value and better waste in order to reduce the Programme Delivery Manager for for the environment. volumes for disposal, and is Waste, added: “The role of LLWR adding more options to its existing in taking the lead for our national Supported by a team of 30 people packaging service. Among the LLW programme is working well, – set to expand by 15 – the site latest developments are a re-usable acting as a catalyst for the changes INSIGHT - ISSUE 6 2011 works with a number of suppliers, transportation container and a in culture and approach that are via a framework of contracts, to offer more efficient, flexible disposal liner needed to implement and comply waste producers various options for that will cut the amount of space with Government policy.” processing LLW, many of them at ‘wasted’ in a steel box. 15 existing waste facilities elsewhere International relations

Sellafield dialogue with Norwegians A high-level UK delegation participated in a conference in the Arctic Circle as part of an ongoing dialogue between Sellafield and Norwegian stakeholders.

The conference, held in Norway’s Norwegians are focused on safety the NDA's Head of Programme, Lofoten Islands, was attended by performance and how the risks Sellafield, said: "This was my first representatives from Sellafield, the associated with the hazards on site participation in the dialogue and I NDA and the new Office for Nuclear are being reduced. Of particular was encouraged at the spirit of co- Regulation (ONR) with stakeholders interest to them is the management operation and openness in which the from Norway, Sweden, Iceland and of Highly Active Liquor (HAL) stored conference took place. Greenland. at Sellafield. "We understand the concern of the As part of the dialogue, Norwegian At the conference, the NRPA Norwegians and our aim was to Environment Minister Erik presented the findings of their latest ensure they understood how the Solheim had visited Sellafield Sellafield report. The second of two change to the HAL specification the previous week accompanied reports, based on a highly unlikely will help us reduce the hazards at by representatives from Bergen, hypothetical scenario concerning Sellafield quicker. We are committed Stavanger, the Norwegian a release from HAL storage tanks, to further meetings and the government, regulator, NGOs considers the potential impact continued exchange of information. and media. it could have on the Norwegian We look forward to welcoming the environment and agriculture. Norwegians when they come to The event, jointly organised by West Cumbria in 2012 for the next Sellafield Ltd and two Norwegian Discussions also took place about conference." NGOs, Bellona and Guardians of Sellafield in the context of the recent our Common Seas, was the latest events in Fukushima. The conference The event concluded with a in a series of meetings dating was an opportunity to communicate statement jointly agreed between back to 2003 aimed at exchanging the forthcoming change to the Sellafield and the Norwegian information and building confidence regulatory specification regarding NGOs: http://www.nda.gov.uk/ between all the parties. The the storage of HAL. Dr Ian Hudson, stakeholders/newsletter/ INSIGHT - ISSUE 6 2011

From the left: NDA Chairman Stephen Henwood, Norwegian Environment Minister Erik Solheim and Sellafield 16 Ltd Spent Fuel Director Stuart MacVean are briefed by John Dougan, Head of HALES facility at Sellafield Socio-economic support

Developing the harbour will help to diversify the local economy Funds support harbour expansion Scrabster is the UK’s most northerly mainland port, lying sheltered from the powerful tides that race through the Pentland Firth between the Scottish mainland and the Orkneys.

The harbour is well placed to take fuel and water at each berth. Financial assistance for the project, advantage of the burgeoning marine which is being spearheaded by energy industries that are developing The upgraded facilities will help the Scrabster Harbour Trust, has offshore wave and tidal projects, as to underpin the growth of marine come from a range of organisations well as the recently discovered oil energy and have the potential to play including Scottish Government, and gas reserves west of Shetland. an important support role for the Highlands and Islands Enterprise, oil and gas fields that are opening the NDA, the European Regional For the communities of northern up. It is estimated that the harbour Development Fund and European Scotland, the developments promise development could bring up to 350 Fisheries Fund. jobs and investment as nearby new jobs to the area over the next Dounreay continues to wind down its few years. Seabed sites in the Pentland Firth 1500 - 2000-strong workforce in the and Orkney waters were the first to years ahead. Anna MacConnell, the NDA’s be made available for commercial Stakeholder and Socio-Economic scale development of wave and tidal Backed by £2 million from the Manager at Dounreay, said: “The energy in Scotland and indeed the NDA’s socio-economic budget, NDA is wholly supportive of whole of the UK. an ambitious £21.5 million project this development. The harbour will bring a deep-water channel improvements will be vital in The projects to be developed are INSIGHT - ISSUE 6 2011 to Scrabster Harbour, additional assisting the region’s sustainable believed to represent the largest lay-down areas at the quayside future once Dounreay ceases to be a planned development of wave and with heavy lifting facilities and an major employer.” tidal energy worldwide. improved range of services including 17 Waste management

Excavations to start on waste vaults Construction work is due to start later this year on a shallow, permanent disposal facility for waste material that has accumulated at Dounreay over the years.

Low Level Waste (LLW) will continue debris, the equivalent of up to 760 the facility was fundamental accumulating over the coming double-decker buses. to the successful and efficient decades as the nuclear site is decommissioning of the site. gradually cleaned out and buildings By volume, LLW accounts for demolished, creating more than 80% of the radioactive Approximately 140,000 cubic metres tens of thousands of tonnes waste that will be produced during of rock will be removed to create needing disposal. demolition of the site, although it each vault. Crushed rock from later accounts for less than 0.01% phases will be recycled to landscape Dounreay Site Restoration Ltd has by radioactivity. the flattened plant, reducing the awarded a contract to Graham total site restoration bill by several Construction for the first two of up to LLW comprises paper, rags, tools, million pounds. six underground vaults on glass, concrete, clothing, scrap NDA-owned land northeast of metal filters, etc, containing small Some 8,000 tonnes of aggregate the site, with excavations starting amounts of mostly short-lived made from the rubble of buildings around October. radioactivity. already raised is being used to build roads and hardstanding areas. The facility will be capable of taking The NDA’s Dounreay Programme up to 175,000 cubic metres of Manager Stuart Chalmers said DSRL project manager Audrey Cooper said: “We’re aggressively reducing the amount of waste we generate in the first place through That caps it - tallest new, more efficient ways to decommission and better ways to chimney sealed segregate and reduce the volume. We expect this to reduce the total size of the facility we’ll need to build, bringing down the cost further.” The contract for the first phase – design and construction of two vaults – is valued at approximately £13 million. The first vault is due to open in 2013. The project to find a long-term solution for Dounreay’s LLW began in 1999, and included consultations with the community and other interested organisations. Disposal at the site emerged as the best environmental option, avoiding requirements to transport material on the road network and aligning with the ‘proximity’ principle of managing waste as close to the Dounreay’s tallest chimney has been sealed, above, marking a visual end source as possible. to a £10 million project. Once completed, the site will be The massive five-tonne cap was fabricated by a local company, as part capped and grassed over to merge of a project to deliver a new bespoke ventilation system to the Fuel Cycle with the surrounding landscape. Area. The NDA is investing £4 million Steeplejacks worked from scaffolding at the top of the 55-metre stack, in a community fund attached to liaising with the crane driver and teams on the ground to fit the steel cap the development, to assist with over the mouth of the chimney and bolt it into place. regenerating the local economy, The modern ventilation system serves the complex of buildings, dating with the first payment of £1 million from the 1950s, that historically handled and stored the site’s nuclear due at the start of construction. material and waste. In all, more than 300 tonnes of steel were fabricated Funding decisions will be made by INSIGHT - ISSUE 6 2011 into a network of ducts, chambers and two new, smaller ventilation stacks. community representatives, with the NDA and DSRL providing assistance The project was particularly challenging as the buildings are located in where required, and the money will close proximity, creating a congested working space. be spent on activities that fit with the 18 NDA’s socio-economic policy. Site restoration

Revised strategy published The NDA’s new Strategy, which sets the direction for delivering the nuclear clean-up programme, has now been approved by UK Government and the Scottish Ministers. One of the nitrogen tanks is lifted into place Approval of the Strategy follows a lengthy period of engagement and discussion with stakeholders, Tanks create the right beginning in 2009 and continuing through 2010. The first strategy was published in 2006 and, under atmosphere the Energy Act of 2004, must be Installation of two new 27-tonne nitrogen tanks for updated every five years. At the launch of the Strategy in the Dounreay Fast Reactor breeder building marks London, Chief Executive Tony another notable step forward in preparation for taking Fountain said: "Hazard reduction is our absolute priority and that apart the redundant reactor. is why we are prioritising our resources to tackle our most The breeder removal requires of the Magnox flask leak testing challenging facilities. nitrogen gas as part of the process equipment. DSRL has worked with to dismantle the elements and Sellafield and Caithness design "We are also pursuing an package the slugs. engineering company Mowat 'optimised programme' for Technical Design Services Ltd the decommissioning of the The existing nitrogen plant at the to design internal flask furniture I0 Magnox sites - the first DFR could not supply sufficient gas specifically for the breeder generation of electricity producing to the new purpose-built building removal process. reactors - with accelerated and, following a review of the progress at two 'lead sites', options, a decision was taken to Stuart Chalmers, Programme Trawsfynydd and Bradwell. At install new equipment. Manager, said: “The NDA continues other sites, innovative solutions to facilitate cross-SLC collaboration. to tackle specific issues will be Once a suitable position was agreed This is an excellent example of inter- trialled and best practice shared, which allowed access for road site working and sharing expertise to bringing forward the overall tankers, the planning, design and achieve an NDA strategic goal.” timescales and reducing costs. excavation works began. Dounreay’s experimental fast "Other significant challenges Installation of the tanks was carried breeder reactor was at the forefront are around the effective out by DSRL and its contractors in of British research and development management of nuclear materials time to meet a performance target into nuclear energy during the and waste. We need to utilise for the project, which cost in the 1950s-60s. our current and planned region of £160,000. infrastructure more effectively to Housed inside a steel sphere, it deal with the growing amounts This is an essential element of became the first fast reactor in the the breeder removal process as it of waste generated by the world to provide electricity to a decommissioning programme provides an inert atmosphere for national grid in 1961 and closed in the process cells and NaK cleaning and to work with Government 1977. Its 14MW output was enough INSIGHT - ISSUE 6 2011 process. on the implementation of policy to power a small town like Thurso. with regards to long-term waste The next phase of work will be the Decommissioning DFR is one of the management and the future use installation and commissioning most significant challenges in the of our plutonium stockpile.” UK today. 19 Research and development Collaboration on decommissioning and waste management techniques gets the grey matter working … New waste management techniques and technologies were under the spotlight when members of the Nuclear Waste Research Forum (NWRF) gathered at Dounreay for their latest quarterly meeting.

The itinerary included a visit to the new Breeder Fuel Removal Facility and the site for the LLW facilty, where construction starts soon. The NWRF encourages collaborative research across the nuclear industry and is attended by waste producers, regulators, NDA representatives and the Site Licence Companies (SLCs). Established by the NDA, the NWRF aims to ensure strategic coordination of research and development by determining and sharing common R&D needs, risks and opportunities, as well as considering how best to address them collectively. The visit enabled the Dounreay Site Restoration Ltd (DSRL) team to demonstrate progress on their decommissioning projects and share some of the technologies being used. NWRF members examine a Tru-Shield waste container at Dounreay Other highlights included a demonstration of how laser scanning provided a great backdrop for the practice across the industry is a key technology from the oil and gas enthusiasm shown by the attendees feature of our work and participation industry has been applied to build for collaborative working.” from several of the SLCs, Atomic 3D maps of facilities, which assists Weapons Establishment (AWE) in planning decommissioning and NWRF plays a key role in and EDF demonstrates the level waste management activities, and identifying the areas of research of interest and commitment from a presentation from Magnox, also and development that will best industry. using technology from outside address the waste management and the nuclear industry, to destroy decommissioning challenges facing “This visit to DSRL has provided the contaminated oil. the whole industry. The members group with invaluable information were also keen to identify ways to and experience of the excellent A particular topic of interest was ensure that collaboration across clean-up work at Dounreay to DSRL’s plan to use Tru-Shield the industry genuinely works and take back to their respective containers for packaging some of yields results. organisations. I would like to their waste. These self-shielding thank Neil and his colleagues for containers use lead for shielding Sellafield Head of Technology Mike an excellent meeting and, more and might provide an opportunity James, who is Co-Chair of NWRF importantly, demonstrating the for recycling old lead from NDA along with DSRL Chief Engineer progress at Dounreay." sites. This topic had all the Neil Buchan, said: “Neil and I are waste producers considering the focused on developing the role of Darrell Morris, NDA’s Research packaging they are intending to use the Forum to support and build on Manager, added: “The NWRF and it was clear that everyone will be collaboration across the industry along with the newly reconstituted monitoring Dounreay’s progress in and our stakeholders in the field NDA Research Board form key using them. of research, development and components in the coordination of technology transfer. R&D across the nuclear industry. Matthew Clark, Integrated Waste The development of new technology,

INSIGHT - ISSUE 6 2011 Manager at the NDA, said: “DSRL “Holding the meeting at different supported by R&D, is fundamental to hosted an excellent meeting that establishments to share good delivering our mission.”

© Nuclear Decommissioning Authority 2011. Some images courtesy of site licence companies. Every effort is taken to ensure the accuracy of material or images produced or 20 used by the NDA. However, the NDA cannot guarantee that the images shown will always be current, accurate or complete and does not warrant or endorse the accuracy or completeness of the images. 05/11 2.5k