DECC consults on nuclear waste sites

摘要

The energy and climate department (DECC) has published a consultation on criteria that will be used to select sites for permanent disposal of higher level nuclear waste in deep geological formations.1 But it is still a long way from identifying a national site. The current assumed date for the start of deep disposal is 2040. The desk-based assessment process proposed aims to deliver the fourth part of the government's Managing Radioactive Waste Safely (MRWS) programme (ENDS Report 430, pp 14-15). This was launched in a white paper in 2008, based on communities volunteering candidate sites. The first three stages cover initial expression of interest, high-level screening of areas for suitability and further volunteering of remaining sites for consideration.