During a routine inspection of chemical substances stored on the Sellafield site, a small amount of chemicals (organic peroxide) were identified as requiring specialist disposal. This chemical is used for a variety of purposes across many industries. In line with established procedures, support has been requested from Explosive Ordinance Disposal (EOD). The EOD team is now in attendance at the Sellafield site and will dispose of the chemical safely. Chemical monitoring is undertaken across the site to understand changing chemical states and to inform when and how industrial chemicals should be stored or disposed of. This chemical substance was stored in the site’s Magnox Reprocessing Plant. The storage area is safely segregated from the nuclear operations of the plant and the risk has been identified as a conventional safety issue rather than a nuclear safety risk. 8pm update: We can confirm that the Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) team have now safely and successfully disposed of the organic peroxide chemical package at the Sellafield site. We would like to thank the EOD and our internal emergency duty teams for their work and our workforce and stakeholders for their understanding and support.
Sellafield Ltd 14th Aug 2020 read more »
A section of the Sellafield, the defunct nuclear plant, has been evacuated after a routine inspection uncovered hazardous chemicals. A bomb disposal unit has been called into the site to deal with a “small amount” of organic peroxide, a potentially explosive chemical that must be kept cool to remain safe. Organic peroxide has a variety of uses across different industries but its storage is subject to strict safety measures. The plant, which is now used only to store nuclear waste and has not produced energy since 2003, has been made “non-operational”, Sellafield said. A statement by the company that operates the site on behalf of the Government said: “The storage area is safely segregated from the nuclear operations of the plant and the risk has been identified as a conventional safety issue rather than a nuclear safety risk. “As a precautionary measure, a controlled evacuation of the Magnox Reprocessing Plant was carried out yesterday in order to investigate the chemical and devise the appropriate course of action. The plant was non-operational at the time.
Telegraph 14th Aug 2020 read more »
Bomb disposal experts have successfully disposed of chemicals at the Sellafield nuclear reprocessing plant that had been found to have changed state during a routine inspection, the British government said on Friday. The plant was evacuated as a precautionary measure on Thursday. It was not in operation at the time, Sellafield Ltd said. The chemical, organic peroxide, is used across many industries and was stored at the Magnox reprocessing site in northwest England, segregated from the plant’s nuclear operations.
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Irish Independent 15th Aug 2020 read more »
The UK & Ireland Nuclear Free Local Authorities (NFLA) is highly concerned to learn of the need for the Explosive Ordinance Disposal team to attend at the Sellafield site in Cumbria after an amount of organic peroxide, which has the potential to explode, was found requiring disposal on the site.
NFLA 14th Aug 2020 read more »