Solid Radioactive Waste Strategy Report.pdf - UK EPR

EPR UK
N° NESH-G/2008/en/0123
REV. A PAGE 22 / 257
· Account for the impact of radioactive decay on operational ILW quantities.
A Spent Fuel Interim Store to:
· Store all spent fuel assemblies and activated components generated by the reactor for
up to 100 years and final disposal. This strategy describes different wet and dry spent
fuel interim storage technologies;
· Cater of the EPR’s high burnup spent fuel;
· Cater for the safe import and export of fuel and which is compatible with the UK EPR
Spent Fuel Pool;
· Cater for extension and the interim storage of fuel assemblies from other EPR reactors;
· Provide adequate space and handling for safe operation and monitoring.
This strategy also addresses decommissioning of the EPR and notably:
· Immediate decommissioning scenario and programme following 60 years of reactor
operation;
· The quantities of solid radioactive waste generated from the decommissioning of the
Nuclear Island. The waste inventory considers all Nuclear Island buildings are
demolished to one metre below ground level. Building structures below -1m will be
cleaned but are left in place;
· The dominance of short-lived radionuclides in some decommissioning ILW will enable it
to be declassified to LLW within the on site interim storage period;
· Features facilitating decommissioning of the EPR;
· It considers that the end state of the Nuclear Island decommissioning is one where
residual radioactivity has been reduced to acceptable levels enabling the licence
conditions to be removed and the land reused for other purposes.
The intention is that this strategy will remain open and flexible. This will ensure that options are
not foreclosed prematurely in terms of looking for and taking advantage of new developments.
This might for example include the potential for centralised waste processing (incineration and
melting/recycling) and storage facility service providers and spent fuel reprocessing.
A number of industrial processes, recognised to represent international good practice, are used
by different plant operators to treat radioactive wastes and store spent fuel. These processes
have evolved over the years and performance has improved through the integration of
operational feedback experience by the plant operators and plant designers.