In 1983, the London Convention called for a two-year moratorium on all sea dumping of radioactive waste, which eventually became permanent in 1993. The Nuclear Industry Radioactive Waste Executive( NIREX) was formed, and put forward proposals for ILW and LLW disposal at five sites. Due to opposition, all were dropped before the 1987 General Election.
Government policy then shifted to developing only deep disposal options, with LLW and ILW co-disposed. In 1989, NIREX focussed its search at sites near Dounreay( Caithness) and Sellafield. Both were investigated, but a referendum in Caithness showed 74 % opposition, so Longlands Farm near Sellafield was announced as the preferred site in 1991. NIREX submitted a planning application for an underground Rock Characterisation Facility( RCF) at Longlands Farm, and a public inquiry was held in 1997. The application was rejected first by Cumbria County Council then, on appeal, by the Government. Technical grounds included concerns that site selection was driven by land availability and transport costs, rather than long-term safety( geology). Unofficially, the RCF was considered a“ Trojan horse”, meaning construction of the full facility would inevitably have followed. right to withdraw until a final decision. Two communities in west Cumbria – Copeland and Allerdale – came forward, but in 2013 Cumbria County Council effectively vetoed a local referendum result, halting progress.
Government reacted by designating a GDF as a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project( NSIP), meaning planning decisions would be taken centrally, and revising the policy so that withdrawal would be allowed only up to the point of a test of community support, which could no longer be vetoed.
When the process was relaunched in 2018, five communities expressed interest. Two subsequently withdrew, and one was ruled out on geological grounds. Two west Cumbrian communities remain in the process. Three surface“ areas of focus” have been identified: east of Sellafield, east of Seascale and west of Haverigg. In each case, the GDF would be sited beneath the same inshore area, extending up to 22km from the coast.
With no Plan B, the rejection prompted a fundamental rethink of strategy. Based on the successful Finnish example, the Government launched a wide public consultation and established the Committee on Radioactive Waste Management( CoRWM), to independently identify the optimum solution for long-term HAW management.
Government accepted CoRWM ' s recommendations and in 2008 published the Managing Radioactive Waste Safely( MRWS) policy. Communities were invited to volunteer to participate in the Geological Disposal Facility( GDF) siting process, with a
Illustration of GDF surface facilities
Taking a decision on identifying a community or communities to progress to site characterisation including deep borehole investigations represents a significant step for the GDF programme. Nuclear Waste Services anticipates making a decision in spring 2026. Meanwhile, the strategy remains to package HAW into a passively safe form for interim storage until the GDF is available. Current planning assumes ILW emplacement will begin in the 2050s, with HLW and spent fuel accepted from 2075.
6 Radiation Protection Today www. srp-rpt. uk