Two laboratories have been officially opened following £400,000 of investment. Cavendish Nuclear’s Greeson Court Laboratory, on the Westlakes Science and Engineering Park, near Whitehaven, has been providing a service to the Sellafield site for over 30 years delivering over 40,000 radiological and non-radiological analytical results for approximately 3,500 environmental and personnel samples each year. In October 2018 an investment of £400,000 was made to refurbish two of the laboratory areas.

Carlisle News & Star 20th June 2019 read more »

Nearly half of a fund run by Dounreay’s operators to help the far north weather the terminal rundown of the nuclear plant went unspent last year.

Energy Voice 21st June 2019 read more »

As per its directive (2018:18), the Swedish National Council for Nuclear Waste keeps track of other countries’ programmes for management of nuclear waste and spent nuclear fuel. One element of this monitoring is the annual study trip the Council undertakes to meet with relevant organisations in other countries. This report contains simple overviews of the countries the Swedish National Council for Nuclear Waste has visited on study trips in recent years, as well as of the situation in Sweden. The text focuses on nuclear waste generated at nuclear power plants and other nuclear facilities. The overview covers the following eight countries: Sweden, Finland, Germany, Switzerland, Spain, the Czech Republic, France and the United Kingdom.

Swedish National Council for Nuclear Waste (accessed) 21st June 2019 read more »

State Land Commissioner Stephanie Garcia Richard says southeastern New Mexico, which is home to one of the world’s most prolific oil and gas basins, is not the right place for storing spent nuclear fuel. In a letter to Holtec International, she outlined her concerns about plans to build a multibillion-dollar facility that would be capable of temporarily storing tons of high-level radioactive waste from commercial reactors around the U.S.

AP 20th June 2019 read more »

Allerdale is inviting town and parish councillors to discuss the council’s policy towards geological disposal of nuclear waste in the borough at a meeting on Thursday 11th July at Cockermouth Town Hall. Allerdale’s Nuclear Policy manager, Richard Griffin, will discuss the latest consultation and how Allerdale is positioning itself for the new search process. Cumbria Trust was very pleased to see a recent change of Allerdale leadership, with Marion Fitzgerald taking over from Alan Smith. During the last process, MRWS, we felt that Alan Smith failed to understand the process and did not act in the interest of Allerdale’s residents, most of whom opposed the burial of nuclear waste in the borough. Allerdale voted in 2013 to continue the search process, but delayed the vote until after Cumbria County Council had vetoed it, so it was a meaningless vote. We would encourage town and parish councillors who are members of Cumbria Trust, or who agree with us that Allerdale should not volunteer itself, to attend this meeting on 11th July and make their views known.

Cumbria Trust 19th June 2019 read more »

SOME PEOPLE worry about robots taking work away from human beings, but there are a few jobs that even these sceptics admit most folk would not want. One is cleaning up radioactive waste, particularly when it is inside a nuclear power station—and especially if the power station in question has suffered a recent accident. Those who do handle radioactive material must first don protective suits that are inherently cumbersome and are further encumbered by the air hoses needed to allow the wearer to breathe. Even then their working hours are strictly limited, in order to avoid prolonged exposure to radiation and because operating in the suits is exhausting. Moreover, some sorts of waste are too hazardous for even the besuited to approach safely. So, send in the robots? Unfortunately that is far from simple, for most robots are not up to the task. This became clear after events in 2011 at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in Japan, which suffered a series of meltdowns after its safety systems failed following a tsunami. The site at Fukushima has turned into something of a graveyard for those robots dispatched into it to monitor radiation levels and start cleaning things up. Many got stuck, broke down or had their circuits fried by the intense radiation.

Economist 19th June 2019 read more »

Allerdale Borough Council have admitted in a letter (below) to Radiation Free Lakeland today that the Energy Coast Laundry servicing Sellafield has opened illegally without the necessary planning permission. Leader of Allerdale Borough Council, Marion Fitzgerald says in her letter to the nuclear safety group: “Following your original complaint, one of our senior planning officers has visited ECL and determined that planning permission does need to be obtained for some of the changes to structures that have been made. This is now being addressed. Thank you for bringing it to our attention.”

Radiation Free Lakeland 18th June 2019 read more »

New robots can safely decommission nuclear reactors. A new semi-autonomous robot is capable of traveling into a decommissioned nuclear reactor and safely dismantling it, piece by piece. Typically, the robots that handle nuclear waste, like the one sent into the Fukushima reactor after it was destroyed by a tsunami, need to be remote-controlled every step of the way. This new robot, described in research published in the journal Robotics, can handle some things on its own — like detecting, grabbing, and cutting apart objects in its video feed.

Futurism 14th June 2019 read more »

Lancaster University engineers are developing computer systems for robots dealing with hazardous nuclear waste. The software will make the robots semi-autonomous – simplifying human control, which has to be done remotely due to the highly radioactive environments in which the robots operate. The software has the potential to significantly speed-up decommissioning operations, while also retaining human oversight of the robot.

In Cumbria 14th June 2019 read more »

STRIKERS picketing Sellafield have been warned of an angry public backlash amid claims they are showing a “total lack of regard” for the wider community. The comments from a council nuclear chief come as industrial action from Mitie contractors has led to “gridlock” on some of the county’s roads. Security guards, catering staff and cleaners have been setting up pickets outside the nuclear site in a dispute over pay, launching a series of ongoing strikes. But coun Moore, Copeland council’s nuclear portfolio-holder, has claimed attitudes to the strikers is now hardening.

NW Evening Mail 13th June 2019 read more »

In Cumbria 13th June 2019 read more »

Engineers at Lancaster University are developing computer systems for robots handling hazardous nuclear waste. The software will make the robots semi-autonomous – simplifying human control, which has to be done remotely due to the highly radioactive environments in which the robots operate. The development work was funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council – part of UK Research and Innovation – as part of the National Centre for Nuclear Robotics (NCNR). The NCNR aims to develop advanced robotics and AI technologies for nuclear industry applications. The focus of the centre is to develop technology for aiding radioactive waste management. Lancaster University was one of eight universities that founded the NCNR.

World Nuclear News 13th June 2019 read more »

Peter Faccenda has been welcomed into the role of Caithness and North Sutherland Regeneration Partnership manager. He takes over from Eann Sinclair who was appointed as Caithness and Sutherland area manager for Highlands and Islands Enterprise. CNSRP independent chairman Ian Ross said: “I’m delighted to welcome Peter to the CNSRP team and look forward to continuing to build on the excellent achievements so far. I’d like to thank Eann for his valued contribution over the past 10 years as manager and wish him every success in his new role at HIE, who continue to be an important partner in CNSRP. “CNSRP partners are committed to continuing the work to move the area economy away from its dependence on Dounreay decommissioning, which has resulted in around 1400 full-time equivalent jobs being either created or retained in the Dounreay travel-to-work area. “We estimate that a further 1300 full-time jobs could be possible by 2030, which will continue to support population growth in the area.”

John O Groat Journal 11th June 2019 read more »