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The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) has made significant changes to the authorisation covering UKAEA Dounreay’s discharges of gaseous radioactive waste. The changes mean a cut to 59% in the quantity of tritium that the site is allowed to release to the environment and will come into effect on Friday 18 July.
The change also permits the operation of UKAEA’s new facility for collecting and disposing of liquid waste to sea. This facility, known as the Low Level Liquid Effluent Treatment Plant (LLLETP), will replace the old sea discharge tanks that were the subject of a SEPA enforcement notice in January 2002.
UKAEA is required by SEPA to improve the discharge system for gaseous waste from the main facilities in the fuel cycle area (FCA). It will also have to produce a strategy which will set out
- principles for radioactive waste management
- how it will manage gaseous waste discharges, and
- how it will comply with the government’s international environmental commitments.
SEPA is also finalising a similar downward change in the limits controlling liquid waste from Dounreay, where there is greater scope for reduction. This has been brought about by UKAEA’s move away from reprocessing, to a mission of restoring the environment.
There may be scope for further reductions in the authorised limits for the disposal of gaseous and liquid waste. These will be explored and detailed by UKAEA in a new application for the disposal of radioactive waste from Dounreay. The application will be made to SEPA during 2003 and will be subject to full public consultation.
The changes now being made and those being finalised by SEPA are considered to be interim measures while UKAEA finalises its application for a new authorisation. This application will be supported by UKAEA’s plan for the environmental restoration of the Dounreay site. SEPA will consult the public about the application and expects that the new authorisation may be in place by 2005.
Tom Inglis of SEPA said: “The point of the changes is to help ensure that there is efficient and robust regulation of the site. They will continue the downward pressure on the disposal of radioactive waste to the environment and will ensure that our authorisation is appropriate to the new focus on decommissioning.”
ENDS
Notes
- Under the international OSPAR agreement, the government is committed to reducing radioactive discharges to the environment.
- In 1999 SEPA issued an authorisation to UKAEA for the disposal of gaseous waste. UKAEA applied for a variation to this authorisation so it could operate its new sea discharge tanks (the facility produces a small quantity of gas also).
- While considering this application, SEPA decided to reduce the limits in the authorisation. SEPA also made other, minor, changes:
- strengthening a condition that requires UKAEA to maintain its waste disposal system
- requiring UKAEA to provide information to enable SEPA to review the adequacy of the authorisation at any time.
- This process began in August 2000 when SEPA and UKAEA discussed the operation of its proposed new sea discharge tanks. Public consultation on the changes took place from May - July 2001. Additional consultation and discussion has taken place with the Nuclear Installations Inspectorate, the Food Standards Agency and the Scottish Executive.
- Full details of the changes and the process are available in SEPA’s decision document which will be available on www.sepa.org.uk/dounreay from Thursday 17 July.
Contact
Stewart Argo, public relations officer - 07799 477972
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