In October 2006, the Government responded to the recommendations of the Committee on Radioactive Waste Management (CoRWM), and accepted that geological disposal coupled with safe and secure interim storage is the way forward for the long-term management of the UK’s higher activity radioactive wastes. Government also confirmed they are supportive of exploring an approach based on voluntarism and partnership with local communities. A consultation on the framework for implementing geological disposal is due to be launched during summer 2007.
If, as a result of the current consultation on “The Future of Nuclear Power”, Government conclude that nuclear has a role to play in the UK, the Government consider that geological disposal and robust interim storage would also be the best solution for dealing with waste from any new nuclear power stations.
If, as a result of the current consultation on ‘The Future of Nuclear Power’, Government conclude that nuclear has a role to play in the UK, Government consider it to be technically possible and desirable to dispose of both new and legacy waste in the same geological disposal facilities, based on evidence from the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) and overseas waste management programmes.
Advice from the Committee on Radioactive Waste Management (CoRWM) has been taken into account and is discussed in chapter 8 of ‘The Future of Nuclear Power’. In particular, the committee drew attention to the important ethical issues around whether to create new nuclear waste. The Government intend that these ethical issues should be considered through the consultation ‘The Future of Nuclear Power’ launched on 23 May 2007.
As part of the Government's Managing Radioactive Safely (MRWS) programme, a consultation outlining the implementation framework for geological disposal is due to be launched during summer 2007.
As far as existing nuclear operators are concerned, the Nuclear Installations Act (which implements the UK’s obligations under the Paris Convention on Third Party Liability in the Field of Nuclear Energy and the supplementary Brussels Convention) channels liability for incidents to operators, requiring them to maintain insurance or other security to meet potential claims. But these Conventions have recently been revised, and Government are now considering how best to bring the amendments into UK law. The proposals for doing this, on which we anticipate consulting in due course, will have implications for both existing operators and any new owners or operators of nuclear plant.
The environmental and safety regulators already recover the majority of costs in respect of nuclear regulation from operators. There are no proposals to change these existing cost recovery schemes. The HSE is proposing to introduce regulations to recover costs relating to design assessment. The Environment Agency will recover its costs for design assessment, if required, through an agreement with the requesting party under Section 37 of the Environment Act 1995.
The current consultation on “The Future of Nuclear Power” sets out that if Government conclude that nuclear has a role to play in the future UK energy mix, owners/operators of any new nuclear power stations would propose, develop, construct and operate any new plant and cover the full costs of decommissioning and their full share of waste management costs. There are no proposals to change the way in existing operators may fund research and development undertaken by Government departments, the NDA or CoRWM.
The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) is responsible for delivering safe, sustainable and publicly acceptable solutions to the challenge of nuclear clean-up and waste management.
Radioactive waste needs to be treated (or ‘conditioned’) and packaged to make it safer for handling, storage and eventual disposal. The nuclear site licence holders (waste packagers) carry out the physical packaging of the waste and are responsible for the safety of their operations. They are required to demonstrate to the independent regulators that the risks to the public and the environment from these activities are reduced to as low as reasonably practicable.
In support of their safety cases for packaging of radioactive waste, the waste packagers seek advice from the new Radioactive Waste Management Directorate (RWMD) of the NDA. This is done under a system known as the ‘Letter of Compliance’ process whereby the suitability of waste packages for eventual disposal is assessed.
It is the independent regulators who take decisions on the acceptability of waste conditioning and packaging safety cases submitted to them. Responsibility for securing the safety of the public and the environment rests with the independent regulators—the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and the environment agencies (the Environment Agency, EA, in England and Wales and the Scottish Environment Protection Agency, SEPA, in Scotland).