Waste and Recycling

Dounreay waste retrieval deal

Warwick Pipe — Mon, 20 May 2013 14:59:45 GMT

UK-based engineering company James Fisher Nuclear has won a £5 million ($7.6 million) contract for the retrieval and processing of radioactive waste from a 65-metre deep shaft and a wet silo at the Dounreay site.

Public comment on French waste disposal

Jeremy Gordon — Thu, 16 May 2013 15:16:49 GMT

Plans for the Cigéo facility to dispose of radioactive waste at Bure in France have reached the stage of final public consultation.

German demolition plans revealed

Warwick Pipe — Mon, 13 May 2013 15:16:44 GMT

EnBW Kernkraft has formally applied to the state of Baden-Wurttemberg for permission to decommission and demolish two nuclear units forced to close by German politicians in response to the Fukushima nuclear accident.

Dounreay raffinate prepared for disposal

Warwick Pipe — Fri, 10 May 2013 16:10:21 GMT

Most of the highly active liquid waste produced from the reprocessing of Material Test Reactor fuel at the UK's Dounreay site has now been cemented into drums ready for disposal.

Repository wins environmental recognition

Jeremy Gordon — Wed, 01 May 2013 15:43:47 GMT

A geologic radiological waste disposal site in New Mexico has been honoured for its environmental stewardship efforts.

China approaches reprocessing commitment

Jeremy Gordon — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 16:44:23 GMT

China is to reprocess used reactor fuel at a plant supplied by Areva, according to a letter of intent signed in Beijing yesterday. Areva said it was a milestone that represented a signature on part of a contract for sale.

UK swaps plutonium to balance MOX policies

Jeremy Gordon — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 13:40:24 GMT

A series of exchanges has seen the UK take control of three tonnes of plutonium it had been storing for foreign firms. The country's goal is to use plutonium stocks as reactor fuel for power generation.

Rethink slows MOX construction

Jeremy Gordon — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 15:33:31 GMT

Work on a facility to convert weapons plutonium into reactor fuel is to be slowed down as the US National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) reconsiders its plutonium disposition strategy.

Search for German repository site starts again

Warwick Pipe — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 15:47:58 GMT

Germany will launch a new site selection process for a repository to hold the country's radioactive waste under a compromise agreement between the federal and state governments and opposition parties.

Focus on Sellafield for NDA

Jeremy Gordon — Thu, 04 Apr 2013 16:05:00 GMT

Cleanup work at Sellafield remains the number one priority for the UK's Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) in its latest business plan. Its work continues with a range of completed projects and contract awards across the country.

New licence for Chernobyl used fuel facility

Warwick Pipe — Thu, 28 Mar 2013 16:14:59 GMT

Ukraine's nuclear regulator has issued a new licence for the construction and commissioning of a facility to store used nuclear fuel at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant.

Finnish waste fund continues to grow

Warwick Pipe — Tue, 26 Mar 2013 16:03:13 GMT

Finnish nuclear operators had set aside a total of €2.16 billion ($2.77 billion) by the end of 2012 for waste disposal and decommissioning activities, the country's Ministry for Employment and the Economy reported.

AECL raises liabilities estimate

Warwick Pipe — Fri, 22 Mar 2013 16:30:06 GMT

Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd (AECL) has advised the Canadian government that its estimated liabilities for nuclear decommissioning and waste management have increased by two-thirds to C$6 billion ($5.9 billion).

Brussels pushes for decommissioning estimates

Jeremy Gordon — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 15:23:11 GMT

The European Commission wants European Union member states to release more detailed information about their decommissioning programs to help it monitor their compliance with a 2011 directive.

Magnox decommissioning manoeuvres

Warwick Pipe — Mon, 18 Mar 2013 16:44:01 GMT

The process to remove fuel from the reactor of unit 1 at the shut down Oldbury nuclear power plant has started. Meanwhile, Berkeley's last two massive boilers have been removed from the site for recycling in Sweden.

Magnox decommissioning milestones

Warwick Pipe — Wed, 27 Feb 2013 16:41:41 GMT

Several milestones have been reached in the decommissioning of the UK's fleet of Magnox nuclear power plants, including the completion of defuelling at Chapelcross and the removal of a transformer from the Oldbury site.

Exotic fuel on the move

Jeremy Gordon — Fri, 22 Feb 2013 16:28:02 GMT

The UK's Nuclear Decommissioning Authority has decided to transfer remaining stocks of nuclear fuels from the Dounreay site to Sellafield. The move will enable Dounreay's security status to be significantly downgraded.

Tender for pilot reprocessing facility

Warwick Pipe — Tue, 19 Feb 2013 16:49:45 GMT

A tender for the construction of a fuel reprocessing demonstration plant at Zheleznogorsk for the reprocessing of used nuclear fuel has been announced by Russia's state nuclear corporation Rosatom.

Cumbrian councils to explore radwaste options

Warwick Pipe — Tue, 05 Feb 2013 16:52:23 GMT

The two Cumbrian borough councils who voted to continue exploring their suitability for hosting a national waste repository but were over-ruled by the county council are seeking talks with the UK's energy minister to discuss further options.

UK waste policy runs aground

Jeremy Gordon — Wed, 30 Jan 2013 17:43:09 GMT

Britain's radioactive waste disposal process has stalled after conflicting votes between regional and local government. The borough of Copeland voted to continue exploring its suitability, but it lies within the county of Cumbria which voted against the idea.

EU raps knuckles over decommissioning failures

Warwick Pipe — Thu, 24 Jan 2013 16:13:30 GMT

Cost overruns, delays, lack of coordination, diffused responsibilities and poor priority setting are among a list of defects in nuclear decommissioning programs in Bulgaria, Lithuania and Slovakia identified in a resolution passed by a European Parliament committee.

Trial operation of Rokkasho furnace

Jeremy Gordon — Mon, 21 Jan 2013 16:49:23 GMT

Trial production of vitrified waste at one of the two melting furnaces at the Rokkasho reprocessing plant has been successfully completed, Japan Nuclear Fuel Ltd. announced.

Fuel cycle shipments in Europe

Jeremy Gordon — Fri, 18 Jan 2013 16:10:00 GMT

Two major radioactive shipments have taken place in Europe. Used reactor fuel went from Italy to France for reprocessing, while vitrified waste from the same process left the UK to return to Japan.

Work starts on first British dry fuel store

Jeremy Gordon — Fri, 18 Jan 2013 15:55:20 GMT

A two-year construction project to build a dry storage facility for used fuel from EDF Energy's Sizewell B power station got under way this week. The facility will be used from 2015, when the plant's storage pond is due to reach capacity.

Veolia takes on nuclear decommissioning

Warwick Pipe — Thu, 17 Jan 2013 14:48:55 GMT

Environmental services company Veolia Environnement has agreed to cooperate with France's national energy research commission, the CEA, in the dismantling and remediation of nuclear facilities.

New start for US nuclear disposal

Warwick Pipe — Tue, 15 Jan 2013 16:38:42 GMT

America will begin again this year on a program to store its used reactor fuel and military wastes. This time the siting process will be based on attaining the consent of a host community.

Wildlife refuge buys Connecticut Yankee land

Warwick Pipe — Thu, 10 Jan 2013 16:33:43 GMT

A US government conservation agency has purchased land next to the decommissioned Connecticut Yankee nuclear power plant to expand its nature reserve there.

Harwell land released for re-use

Warwick Pipe — Thu, 10 Jan 2013 16:44:41 GMT

Some 27 hectares of land at Harwell nuclear research site has been released from the last remaining nuclear regulations by the UK parliament. The land will be reused as part of a technology park.

Cancellation leaves no options for US waste

Jeremy Gordon — Fri, 04 Jan 2013 22:17:31 GMT

A plan to create an interim store for used nuclear fuel in Utah is officially dead after Private Fuel Storage decided to give up on building the facility in the face of federal obstruction. The move leaves the USA reliant on temporary storage at power plants for the foreseeable future.

Application in for Finnish repository

Warwick Pipe — Wed, 02 Jan 2013 17:11:03 GMT

Management of used nuclear fuel in Finland has reached a milestone with the application by Posiva to construct a final repository and waste encapsulation plant at Olkiluoto.

Hungarian repository receives first waste

Warwick Pipe — Tue, 18 Dec 2012 16:16:08 GMT

A ceremony has been held to mark the official opening of Hungary's national radioactive waste repository in Bataapati. During the ceremony, the first package of waste was placed in the initial storage chamber.

New Chernobyl cover takes shape

Warwick Pipe — Thu, 29 Nov 2012 16:45:28 GMT

Assembly of the giant structure that will protect the ruined Chernobyl unit 4 and enable its dismantling has reached a milestone with the raising of the first arch.

Transporter wins injunction against Greenpeace

Warwick Pipe — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 16:21:58 GMT

Nuclear material transporter International Nuclear Services has secured an injunction against further "irresponsible and unsafe actions" by Greenpeace towards its operations.

Studsvik to finish Berkeley boiler job

Warwick Pipe — Tue, 06 Nov 2012 16:02:33 GMT

Swedish decommissioning company Studsvik has won a £15 million ($24 million) contract to remove and treat the final heat exchangers remaining at the UK's shut-down Berkeley nuclear power plant.

Decommissioning starts on Italian reactor

Jonathan Cobb — Fri, 12 Oct 2012 16:55:49 GMT

Decommissioning of the nuclear island of the Trino Vercellese nuclear power plant in Italy is now under way. The work is expected to take twelve years to complete at a total cost of €234 million ($303 million).

Areva to help develop US storage facility

Warwick Pipe — Tue, 09 Oct 2012 15:12:18 GMT

An Areva-led team of companies has been selected by the Eddy-Lea Energy Alliance as its commercial partner for developing the concept of a consolidated used nuclear fuel storage facility in south-eastern New Mexico.

Licence to deconvert uranium

Jeremy Gordon — Wed, 03 Oct 2012 14:57:40 GMT

Nuclear safety regulators have approved International Isotopes' plans to deconvert depleted uranium hexafluoride tails and go on to sell fluorine gases and other chemical by-products.

UK site celebrates delicensing

Warwick Pipe — Thu, 20 Sep 2012 15:27:40 GMT

A large area of one of the UK's legacy nuclear sites will become available for redevelopment after regulators approved the removal of over ten hectares of land from the Winfrith nuclear site licence after decommissioning work.

US used fuel storage options assessed

Warwick Pipe — Mon, 17 Sep 2012 16:08:10 GMT

It is 'unclear' whether the benefits of an accelerated transfer of used nuclear fuel from storage pools to dry storage at US nuclear power plants would outweigh the risks and costs involved, an updated study by Electric Power Research Institute concludes.

Report pushes for American interim store

Jeremy Gordon — Tue, 14 Aug 2012 15:58:15 GMT

Industry is ready and money could be available to set up an interim store for US used nuclear fuel according to a report by the Brattle Group which points out the advantages of dry storage and the costs of further political delay.