Members of a watchdog group say communities in east Suffolk are potentially missing out on millions of pounds because the Government does not classify spent fuel from Sizewell B as nuclear waste. Used fuel rods from the nuclear power station are being kept in a dry fuel store – with ministers no closer to finding a site for a national geological disposal facility for radioactive waste. Four years ago after Cumbria rejected a plan to bury the waste deep into rock near Sellafield, Whitehall officials said communities would get up to £40million if they allowed a site to be used as a dump. Meanwhile, members of the Sizewell Stakeholder Group (SSG) have argued that Sizewell is already fulfilling such a use as it keeps nuclear waste in its new £200million dry fuel store, though the Government refuses to allow the spent radioactive elements to be called nuclear waste – and so the Leiston, Sizewell, and Aldeburgh area is not entitled to receive any Government grant aid in mitigation.
Ipswich Star 18th Aug 2017 read more »