Safe management of nuclear waste
14 May 2013
The Government is consulting on the UK’s Managing Radioactive Waste Safely (MRWS) programme.
The Government’s call for evidence forms part of the on-going “lessons learned” exercise following the conclusion of west Cumbrian involvement in the existing site-selection process.
Responses to the call for evidence will inform a public consultation later in the year.
The best means of selecting a site for a geological disposal facility is an approach based on voluntarism
Energy Minister Baroness Verma said: “[We] continue to hold the view that the best means of selecting a site for a geological disposal facility (GDF) is an approach based on voluntarism and partnership.
“Evidence from similar waste disposal programmes abroad, for example in Finland, Sweden and Canada, shows that this approach can work.”
To date, three local authorities have formally expressed an interest in the programme: Copeland and Allerdale Borough Councils, and Cumbria County Council. In January 2013, the three local authorities voted on whether to proceed to stage 4 of the process.
The two boroughs voted in favour, but the county voted against. The Government had in 2011 reached an agreement with the three Cumbrian authorities that the programme would only continue in west Cumbria if there was agreement at both borough and county level. The county’s decision therefore ended the existing site selection process.
DECC has separately published the consultation response and guidance on the regulatory justification process for the re-use of plutonium.
