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During
the reporting period, the company undertook a major programme for
the safe retrieval, repackaging and storage of some 800 cubic metres
of intermediate level radioactive waste generated from UK operations
during the 1970s and 1980s. The material had originally been destined
for disposal at sea, but after this option was withdrawn by the UK
Government it remained in temporary storage at Harwell, Oxfordshire
in concrete-lined drums designed specifically for sea disposal. When
it became clear in the 1990s that plans for a national repository
for such material were far from resolved, the company decided to examine
ways in which it could manage the waste itself in a responsible, safe
and environmentally acceptable manner.
After consideration, the company has resolved
to retrieve and assess the contents of each individual drum and
repackage it either for safe storage or immediate disposal. Sufficiently
decayed material is disposed at third party sites and the remainder
sorted according to its physical and radiological characteristics,
compacted into modern stainless steel shielded containers and stored
in new purpose built facilities at the company's premises. The new
facilities are for the company's waste only and will hold waste
material safely and securely with appropriate monitoring and care
until a long term Government approved national repository is available.
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