NDA Strategy for Site Restoration

NuLeaf Seminar

22 June 2011

Dr Anna Clark

Head of Site Restoration

2

Scope of Site Restoration

3

IAEA decommissioning strategies

• Immediate dismantling

• Deferred dismantling

• Entombment

Final phase

Entomb

Decontaminate and dismantle

Shut-down transition

phase

Care and Maintenance

phase

Decontaminate and dismantle

4

NDA Strategy:Strategic questions

When do we do it?

Site Restoration

Strategy

What level of restoration are we

aiming for?How do we do it?

No restoration

Squeaky clean

In-situ

Ex-situ

Continuous

Deferred

PriorityPace

5

NDA Strategy:What level of restoration do we aim for?

Clean up every trace of industrial use

Rely on institutional controls to manage risks

RESTRICTIONS ON LAND USE

LEVEL OF INTERVENTION

WASTE ARISING

• Restore site to a condition suitable for its next planned use

• To delicense, reduce radioactive contamination to a level suitable for any foreseeable future use

COST

6

NDA Strategy:What level of restoration do we aim for?

• Site End State determined by a case-specific assessment

• Site End State definitions remain flexible until planning commences for final stages of restoration

• Review Site End States if and when necessary as restoration progresses

7

NDA Strategy:What level of restoration do we aim for?

• Define Interim States

– milestone or decision point in site restoration programme, typically marked by a stepped reduction in risk or hazard

8

NDA Strategy:How do we restore our sites?

Strategic options for decommissioning and land quality management:

• In-situ (manage or dispose in original location)

• Ex-situ (remove prior to management or disposal)

• On-site disposal facilities

9

NDA Strategy:When do we restore our sites?

• Intolerable risk - continuous action until risk at least tolerable

• Ensure tolerable risks do not become intolerable

• Balance range of relevant factors

10

NDA Strategy:When do we restore our sites?

• Undertake restoration as soon as reasonably practicable

– Preference for continuous decommissioning

• Commence POCO on cessation of operations

• Act proportionately to ensure net level of risk does not increase in the long-term

• Balance range of relevant factors

11

Continuing strategy development

We will:

• discuss implications of delicensing with Government and regulators

• look at role of other forms of institutional control in managing residual contamination

• further underpin strategic options

– in-situ or ex-situ

– continuous or deferred

• develop set of relevant factors for consideration during decision-making

• capture enduring prioritisation process

• define Interim States

• explore opportunities for early re-use of a site, or part of a site

12

Role of Local Authorities

• Planning Regime – form of institutional control for residual contamination

– Input to Site Restoration Theme Overview Group

• Local authority development plans

– Influence Interim States

• NDA project to articulate Interim States implicit in current lifetime plans

– Local Authorities to be engaged on how Interim States might be presented

NDA Strategy for Integrated Waste Management

NuLeaf Seminar

22 June 2011

Dr James McKinneyHead of Integrated Waste Management

14

IWM THEME – 3 Topics

Integrated Waste Management

Lower Activity Wastes

Non-Radioactive & Hazardous

Wastes

Higher Activity Wastes

Other themes(Site Restoration etc)

NDA STRATEGY

TH

EM

ET

OP

IC

Liquid & Gaseous

Discharges

Solid LLW Management

15

Waste in the NDA Estate - What is it?

LLW Long-lived ILW Vitrified HLW

16

Past / Current practices – Baseline Plans

HAWPackage(grout)

Store

LLWPackage(grout)

LLWR

Liquid and Gaseous Waste

Non-Radioactive and Hazardous Waste

Discharges

Landfill

GDF

17

Desired Practices – Drivers for change

• Policy

• Waste hierarchy

• Consideration of whole lifecycle

• Improvement notices

• Stakeholder involvement

• Costs and opportunities

• Proximity principle…

• Supply chain and open market

• Learning from experience!

18

Desired Practices – Drivers for change

NDA’s Unique Role:

• MRWS

• Deliver and implement a UK LLW Strategy for the nuclear industry

• Scottish HAW Policy - The policy is for the long-term management of higher radioactivity wastes in near-surface facilities

• Delivery partner for UK Strategy for Radioactive Discharges

• Working with others

(Role has developed subsequent to the Energy Act)

19

Integrated waste management – key messages

• Objective: Ensure that wastes are managed in a manner that protects people and the environment, now and in the future, and in ways that comply with Government policies and provide value for money

• Address the whole waste lifecycle - move away from a focus on disposal

• Risk reduction as a priority- waste in ageing storage facilities

• Centralised and multi-site approaches - considered where advantageous

• Application of waste hierarchy - value for money and affordability

20

Integrated waste management – key messages

• Diverse solutions

• Waste management should be integrated- traditional classification not starting

point

• Seek opportunities to do things better - and deliver them – e.g. thermal treatment

• Opportunities at classification boundaries- ex. decay storage of ILW; alternative

disposal options (graphite)

21

Outline

22

Desired Practices – SII approach

• Each site looks after its own waste, processing & storage

• Limited range of options “if in doubt grout”

• Straight jacket of waste category boundaries

• Consolidation and co-location as appropriate

• Integrated waste processing solutions ‘take the plant to the waste” or “take the waste to the plant”

• Waste specific approach– What is it?– Best treatment and disposal?

• Flexibility – Decay storage, VLLW disposal, risk based approach

Past Approach Strategy II Approach

Bill Hamilton – Head of Stakeholder Communications

24

Socio-economic Progress – Priority Areas

• West Cumbria– Port of Workington– West Cumbria Transport Study– West Cumbria Blueprint and Spatial Strategy

• Caithness and North Sutherland– Caithness Chamber of Commerce– Scrabster Harbour

• Anglesey and Meirionnydd– Energy Island Projects

• Gretna-Lockerbie-Annan corridor– Chapelcross Transition Support Project

25

Socio-economic Progress – Other areas

• Hinkley Point– Bridgewater College

• Oldbury/Berkeley– Energy Gloucester

26

New delivery model

• NDA will retain a central budget for transformational projects

• SLC contractors will be held to account for delivery of soc-ec support

• Applications will increasingly be submitted to SLC’s

• SLC’s to assess and submit relevant ones to NDA

• Socio-economic Panel and Committee have been dissolved

• Applications approved by Jon Phillips (up to 500k) or Tony Fountain and Government (500k plus)

27

Cont….

• Dounreay SLC allocation increases

• Magnox Ltd undertaking a socio-economic impact assessment of its work programme

• Socio-economic development Plan due late September

28

UK National Engagement Plan 2011/12

• Plan was published in May 2011

• Plan will show stakeholders what engagement opportunities there are over the next year

• The plan is split into sections reflecting the strategic themes used in our Strategy

• Plan will be continuously updated

• A national event is planned for November 2011

• We welcome input and feedback at anytime

29

Example