THE DOUNREAY 'SITE WIDE ENVIRONMENTAL STATEMENT' - AN APPROACH TO ASSESSING THE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT OF THE REMEDIATION OF A COMPLEX NUCLEAR SITE

摘要

In 2000 the UKAEA published the Dounreay Site Restoration Plan (DSRP). This document set out the UKAEA strategy for dealing with the legacy of nuclear liabilities from the Dounreay experimental fast reactor programme and its associated fuel and waste processing plants. This document has now evolved in to the Lifecycle Baseline (LCBL). The LCBL is a living document presenting, at any given time the programme and timetable for restoration of the site. One of the main challenges associated with the restoration programme is the projected 36-year duration. As part of the implementation of the LCBL, UKAEA is committed to assessing the environmental impact of its activities and the decommissioning programme. The identification of the environmental sensitivities of the Dounreay site is vital in facilitating the production and implementation of a management plan to protect the unique features of the surrounding environment. The challenges of environmental management, restoration and protection play an important role in the decommissioning of nuclear facilities. This paper presents UKAEA Dounreay's approach to this: the "Site Wide Environmental Statement" or "SWES". It is UKAEA's intention that the SWES will be utilised in order to meet the requirements of legislation such as the EIA (Scotland) Regulations 1999 and the Nuclear Reactors (EIA for Decommissioning) Regulations 1999 whilst minimising regulatory submissions and their associated costs.