The Management of Higher Activity Radioactive Waste on Nuclear Licensed Sites

Certain types of radioactive waste produced on nuclear licensed sites need to be treated and packaged (a process referred to as “conditioning”) in order to make them safe for long-term storage and disposal.

SEPA and the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) jointly regulate this process on nuclear sites in Scotland. The Environment Agency (EA) and HSE regulate nuclear sites in England & Wales.

We (all three regulators) have now published the first part of our revised joint guidance to the nuclear industry “The management of higher activity radioactive waste on nuclear licensed sites - Part I: The regulatory process” - 1.7mb pdf

This guidance explains to nuclear licensees the process they should follow to obtain regulatory approval for their proposals for conditioning higher activity wastes. It replaces the original guidance we published in 2005.

In updating our guidance, we consulted widely on proposed revisions to the original guidance, to take account of developments since 2005. This document summarises how we have taken account of the comments we received from those we consulted - Summary of Responses - 128k pdf

We have also published an introductory document, to explain to a broader readership how radioactive waste is managed on nuclear sites - An introduction to the management of higher-level radioactive waste on nuclear licensed sites - 284k pdf

Background Information

In 2001 and 2002 UK Government and the Devolved Administrations identified a number of concerns about the regulation of radioactive waste management in two consultation papers: “Managing Radioactive Waste Safely” ^[1] and “Managing the Nuclear Legacy” ^[2].

In response, we consulted upon proposals to improve the regulation of the conditioning of intermediate level radioactive waste. The Government accepted these proposals, and we published our improved regulatory arrangements in 2003 ^[3]. These improved regulatory arrangements formalise the consultation process between the regulators, and allow SEPA and EA to recover costs for providing advice to HSE on the environmental aspects of waste conditioning proposals.

We then published Joint Guidance in 2005 ^[4], to explain the improved regulatory arrangements. The Joint Guidance explained to nuclear site licensees the process to seek regulatory acceptance of their radioactive waste conditioning proposals, and described the information that we would expect to be submitted in any such proposal.

Since the 2005 Joint Guidance was published, a number of policy developments have taken place which affect how we regulate radioactive waste management, and which required us to review and update our guidance. The main developments were:

• The Committee on Radioactive Waste Management (CoRWM) published its final recommendations for the long-term management of higher activity wastes (high-level, intermediate-level, and some low-level radioactive waste that cannot be disposed of to existing facilities).^[5]
• UK Government and the Devolved Administrations responded to CoRWM’s recommendations, which established geological disposal coupled with a robust programme for interim storage as the UK’s policy for the long term management of higher activity wastes.^[6]
• UK Nirex Ltd’s functions and resources were transferred to the NDA’s Radioactive Waste Management Division, making the NDA the appropriate body to advise nuclear licensees on the required standards for conditioning their higher activity wastes.^[6]
• The Scottish Government announced that it does not support geological disposal, and instead favours a policy of long-term, near-surface, near-site storage for such wastes.^[7]

The original guidance also lacked clarity in key areas, and we concluded that clarity would be improved by separating our revised guidance into “Part I: the Regulatory Process” and “Part II: Technical Guidance”.

Part I has now been published, and it explains to nuclear licensees the process they should follow to obtain regulatory acceptance of their proposals for higher activity waste management.

Part II will provide more detailed technical guidance on what the regulators expect to see in conditioning proposals submitted by nuclear licensees. This part of the guidance will be produced and published as a series of modules over the course of 2008 and 2009.

Related Documents

• [1] “Managing Radioactive Waste Safely. Proposals for Developing a Policy for Managing Solid Radioactive Waste in the UK” Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, National Assembly for Wales, Department of the Environment for Northern Ireland and the Scottish Executive, 2001
  
  
• [2] “Managing the Nuclear Legacy. A Strategy for Action” Department of Trade & Industry, 2002.
  
  
• [3] “Improved Regulatory Arrangements for the Conditioning of Intermediate Level Radioactive Waste on Nuclear Licensed Sites” Provision of Advice to the Health and Safety Executive by the Environment Agency and the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency, Regulators’ Position Statement, 2003.
  
  
• [4] “Conditioning of Intermediate Level Radioactive Waste on Nuclear Licensed Sites: Guidance to Industry” HSE, EA & SEPA, 2005
  
  
• [5] “Managing our Radioactive Waste Safely: CoRWM’s recommendations to Government”. Committee on Radioactive Waste Management, July 2006.
  
  
• [6] “Response to the Report and Recommendations from the Committee on Radioactive Waste Management (CoRWM) By the UK Government and the Devolved Administrations” Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, National Assembly for Wales, Department of the Environment for Northern Ireland and the Scottish Executive, October 2006.
  
  
• [7] Written Answer S3W-1426 to the Scottish Parliament by the Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and the Environment, 25 June 2007.