Last week the Nuclear Decommissioning Collaborative released their report investigating the socioeconomic impacts of nuclear power plant closures on surrounding host communities across the nation. Socioeconomic Impacts from Nuclear Power Plant Closure and Decommissioning takes a unique look at these impacts, particularly the barriers to planning and mitigation, and offers recommendations to nuclear closure communities. The investigation was funded by the U.S. Economic Development Administration, an agency of the Department of Commerce.

Forbes 25th Oct 2020 read more »

Sellafield is to be prosecuted after an employee was hurt while working on high voltage electrical equipment at the nuclear site. The worker was hurt in an incident at the plant near Seascale in West Cumbria on Friday, 24th April, at a time when the country was under lockdown restrictions. A spokesman for the Office for Nuclear Regulation confirmed this morning it had notified Sellafield Limited that it will be prosecuted for allegedly flouting the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act (1974).

ITV 23rd Oct 2020 read more »

Reuters 23rd Oct 2020 read more »

NFLA publishes its core response on the NDA’s future strategy – key recommendations made to improve decommissioning & waste management.

NFLA 21st Oct 2020 read more »

Just when you thought 2020 couldn’t get any weirder, geological disposal programmes around the globe are making significant steps forward, all at the same time. More seems to have happened, in sociopolitical terms, in the past month than perhaps in the rest of this Century combined: Swedish community voting to host their nation’s geological repository; Two Japanese communities choose to enter into initial discussions; expectation in UK that at least one community will come forward; Germany publishes geological analysis identifying potential host areas; Canada completes acquisitions of land that could host a repository; Hungary Opposition leader wants public debate on radwaste disposal; Country situations are analysed in more detail below, but taken together, it seems clear that geological disposal will become a feature of media and political focus in countries around the world over the coming 18-24 months.

GDF Watch 18th Oct 2020 read more »

More than three and a half decades after monitoring began in the marine environment around Dounreay, radioactive particles are still being found by specialist teams from the site. Checks are carried out at the Dounreay foreshore and on nearby Sandside beach, and so far this year nine particles have been detected. The risk to the public on local beaches is said to be “very low”. According to the latest statistics, a total of 342 particles have been located on the Dounreay foreshore and 287 at Sandside. Details of the discoveries are listed online by Dounreay Site Restoration Ltd (DSRL), the site licence company responsible for the clean-up and demolition of Britain’s former centre of fast reactor research and development. Whenever a new radioactive particle is found, it is reported as part of a database on the Dounreay website which is now part of gov.uk

John O Groat Journal 14th Oct 2020 read more »

On 13th October, the Municipality Council of Östhammar in Sweden voted in favour of a formal acceptance of the final underground repository for spent nuclear fuel. The community has shown strong support for the facility throughout the development process. Earlier this year, 82% of the community respondents to the annual poll in Östhammar Municipality stated that they were in favour of SKB’s plans to build the final repository in Forsmark. The final decision is now with the Swedish Government and is the last remaining decision point for SKB to obtain the construction licence for their repository.

RWM Ltd 16th Oct 2020 read more »