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Current
Status
Britain's nuclear sites tend to be in remote and
lightly inhabited areas. Many are nearing the end of
their active life or are in the process of being
decommissioned.
This page provides further information about the
status of the nuclear legacy and the organisations
currently involved in managing the legacy.
Location of sites
Status of sites
| RESPONSIBLE
ORGANISATIONS |
SITE |
STATUS |
| BNFL |
Sellafield |
Operational
and decommissioning - fuel reprocessing and
storage and management of nuclear wastes and
materials |
| Capenhurst
Works |
Decommissioning/waste
management and storage |
| Springfield
Works |
Operational
and Decommissioning - fuel manufacture,
nuclear services and decommissioning of
redundant historic facilities |
| Drigg
Disposal Site |
Operational
- low level waste disposal |
| UKAEA |
Dounreay |
Decommissioning |
| Windscale |
Decommissioning |
| Harwell |
Decommissioning |
| Winfrith |
Decommissioning |
| Culham |
Operational |
| Magnox |
Wylfa |
Operational |
| Oldbury |
Operational |
| Sizewell
A |
Operational |
| Dungeness
A |
Operational |
| Hinkley
Point A |
Defuelling
& Decommissioning |
| Bradwell |
Defuelling
& Decommissioning |
| Hunterson
A |
Decommissioning |
| Trawsfynydd |
Decommissioning |
| Berkeley |
Decommissioning |
| Chapelcross |
Operational
(will shut down by March 2005) |
| Calder
Hall |
Defuelling
& Decommissioning |
United Kingdom Atomic Energy
Authority (UKAEA)
UKAEA is a non-departmental public body whose
historical role was to conduct pioneering research
into nuclear energy in the 1940s, '50s and '60s.
UKAEA's current mission is:
- to deal with the legacy created by its
research programmes for government, and
- to restore the environment at the sites for
which it is responsible
It focuses on strategic planning, procurement and
site management, as well as being responsible for
fusion research at its Culham site. UKAEA also acts
as managing agent for the secretary of state for
certain historic liabilities at Sellafield and
Springfields. UKAEA retained financial responsibility
for these when BNFL was created in 1971 and works
with the Ministry of Defence (MoD) (with which it
shares financial responsibility) to secure best value
for money.
British Nuclear Fuels plc (BNFL)
BNFL is an international business employing around 23,000
personnel in 16 countries. It manages nuclear wastes
and materials on behalf of the UK and US governments
and provides products and services to nuclear
utilities worldwide.
The operating businesses are supported by a major
research and development programme. This provides
technical and safety support for current operations
as well as developing technologies for future
business opportunities.
The Sellafield Complex
BNFL operates a range of plants and facilities at its
Sellafield site, in particular THORP and SMP, which
provide commercial fuel services to private sector
and overseas customers. These, and the wastes,
materials and spent fuel at Sellafield owned by
BNFL's commercial customers, are not part of the
legacy. Furthermore, THORP and SMP were built with
decommissioning in mind and consequently will not the
have the same problems as legacy facilities.
BNFL Joint
Review
There have been significant developments in BNFL's
key businesses, the nuclear industry and the
Government's efforts to encourage a competitive clean
up market in the UK since 2001. On 3 July, the
Secretary of State for Trade and Industry made a
statement announcing that a flotation of the company
after the creation of the NDA was no longer a
feasible option. To read the Secretary of State's
statement, click here.
Following the appointment of BNFL's new Chief
Executive, Michael Parker, it was announced that a
Joint Review of BNFL's future strategy would be
undertaken. The Review, which is being conducted
jointly by the DTI and BNFL and their respective
advisors, is considering options for the
restructuring of BNFL's groups and businesses in
anticipation of the NDA.
The Secretary of State announced the conclusions of the Review on
11 December in a statement
to the House of Commons. A press notice summarising the main
conclusions of the review is available here.
An Explanatory Note providing more detail on the conclusions of the
review can be accessed here.
Arrangements for defence
installations
The Government has no intention of disrupting
existing arrangements for managing sites owned by the
MoD. However, when MoD nuclear sites cease operation
and once all sensitive material has been removed, it
might make sense for the NDA to take responsibility
for managing the clean up of MoD sites. Accordingly,
the Energy Bill includes provisions for tasking the
NDA with decommissioning and cleaning up sites
currently operated by, or on behalf of, the MoD. Were
the NDA to take responsibility for such sites, there
would be an appropriate transfer of resources from
MoD to the NDA to meet the additional costs incurred.
Arrangements for private
sector operators
The Government maintains the view that private sector
nuclear sites should be the financial responsibility
of the operator concerned. However, the Government
recognises that it bears ultimate responsibility for
the safe and secure decommissioning and clean up of
sites where a private sector operator is unable to
meet its obligations. The Government therefore
believes that the NDA should have the power, in
circumstances where Government considers it
necessary, to manage the decommissioning and clean up
sites currently operated in the private sector.
The Government believes that private sector
operators should meet the full costs, or as large a
proportion of these costs as possible, of cleaning up
the sites they manage. Were the NDA to take
responsibility for managing the clean up of private
sector sites, the Bill provides for the private
sector operator concerned to meet the NDA's costs.
While there may be circumstances where Government has
to provide funding to ensure the safe and secure
decommissioning and clean up of such sites, the
Government will always aim to keep costs to the
taxpayer to an absolute minimum.
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