Decommissioning

2010 will be a big year for nuclear decommissioning in the UK, with important decisions to be made on key nuclear sites, and new policy statements and strategies due for publication. But with possible spending cuts ahead, decommissioning bodies will need to be innovative and efficient as the nuclear clean-up project moves forward.

By Jack Craze

Little thought was given to decommissioning back in the 1950s, when most of the UK’s civic nuclear power stations were being designed and built. With research focused mainly on developing cutting-edge technology for the production of electricity, end-of-life site considerations were largely overlooked.

Now, as the UK moves into the delivery phase of its 125-year decommissioning plan, public-and-private sector bodies are grappling with enormity of the task at hand.

Regarded as the largest, most complex and most crucial clean-up operation in Europe, the UK’s decommissioning programme will face additional economic and technical challenges in 2010.

As the global economic crisis impacts further on public sector spending, key organisations, such as the National Decommissioning Authority (NDA), could face significant cuts in their annual budgets.

For the NDA (which receives £800 million a year), these restrictions will mean reducing expenditure on support activities and overheads, and increasing the proportion of spend on core decommissioning projects.

According to Bill Hamilton, NDA’s Head of Stakeholder Communications, the agency will need to improve its operational efficiency and execution to accommodate this reallocation of funds.

Meanwhile, the availability of raw materials and skills in the decommissioning supply chains may also be affected by the global economic downturn, requiring greater agility and resourcefulness throughout the industry as a whole.

Getting to grips with Sellafield

In addition to these funding pressures, “getting a handle on Sellafield” will, according to the NDA, be one of the other major issues for 2010.

The most complex and contaminated nuclear site in the UK, Sellafield in Cumbria presents multiple decommissioning hurdles.

Inadequate historic records, for example, have meant that there has been little information on the precise contents of this ageing facility, and deciding on the best way of retrieving its materials safely and without endangering the environment has been extremely difficult.

Obtaining a clear understanding of the nature and scale of the situation at Sellafield is now crucial, and in the year ahead the NDA aims to publish a new Lifetime Plan for the site.

This document should set out anticipated costs and timescales for future decommissioning activities at Sellafield.

Confirmation of the NDA’s wider decommissioning priorities across its 18 other sites will then be published in a new Draft Strategy in the autumn of 2010.

UK leading the way

Despite the many complexities associated with decommissioning, the UK has a huge advantage over other countries in that it is a forerunner in the nuclear clean-up process.

As one of the first nations to develop nuclear power after World War II, Britain finds itself coming to decommissioning earlier than most.

This has enabled the UK to lead the way on decommissioning and to develop expertise and skills that can now be shared at international level.

The vital contribution that the nuclear industry can make to the UK’s economy and reputation has been a key component of the pro-nuclear campaign – a campaign that has gathered momentum under the current Labour government. 

With the moratorium on new nuclear energy generation lifted, and plans for new build sites under way, ministers and utility companies have been proactively spreading the positive messages about nuclear power.

And here, too, the UK is setting a good example, with a strong commitment to public education and consultation underpinning the new build agenda.

At the utility company E.On, for example, public consultation is an essential part of all nuclear new build projects.

Holding regular public exhibitions and face-to-face meetings with community members, E.On is keen to address any fears or concerns that may arise in response to their site developments. 

“We’re extremely proud of our relationships with local communities”, says Emily Highmore, spokesperson for E.On, who points to the fact that nuclear energy has been used very safely in this country for over 50 years, and that most public concerns centre on the visual and infrastructural impact of the new facilities.

Towards a low carbon future

In their Low Carbon Transition Plan, published in summer 2009, the Government positioned nuclear as part of the “trinity of fuels”, alongside renewables and clean coal, which will help to deliver energy security for the UK and reduce our dependence on imported gas.

The Plan outlines how the UK will meet its target of a 34% reduction in carbon emissions on 1990 levels by 2020, when 40% of electricity will be derived from low carbon sources, including nuclear.

Within these plans, nuclear fuel is presented as a “proven and reliable” energy source – crucial to the UK’s low carbon future, given the intermittency of wind and solar.

The UK’s minimal capacity for gas storage also makes its use imperative. And while details are still to be finalised within both the decommissioning and new build programmes, the future of nuclear energy itself seems more certain and secure than ever before.

Although a change in Government next May could slow developments temporally, it looks as though nuclear energy will be used to help power our homes, reduce carbon emissions and tackle climate change for many years to come.