The 2010 UK Radioactive Waste Inventory: Main Report

140 Pages·2011·1.22 MB·English

The 2010 UK Radioactive Waste Inventory:
Main Report
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URN 10D/985
NDA/ST/STY(11)0004
February 2011

The 2010 UK
Radioactive Waste Inventory

Main Report

Report prepared for the Department of
Energy & Climate Change (DECC) and the
Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA)
by Pöyry Energy Limited
PREFACE
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The Department of Energy & Climate Change (DECC) and the Nuclear Decommissioning
Authority (NDA) have commissioned the 2010 UK Radioactive Waste Inventory (2010
Inventory) to provide information on the status of radioactive waste at 1 April 2010 and
forecasts of future arisings in the UK. Its aim is to provide comprehensive and up-to-date
data in an open and transparent manner for those interested in radioactive waste issues. It
is part of an ongoing programme of research jointly conducted by DECC and NDA.
Waste volumes are given for the UK as a whole, for each type of waste producing activity
and for each of the main organisations producing wastes. The report also presents
information on the radioactivity and the material content of the wastes.
The report includes high, intermediate and low level wastes produced from uranium
enrichment, nuclear fuel manufacture, nuclear power production, spent fuel reprocessing,
research and development, medical and industrial sources and defence activities.
The assumptions used in the forecasts of future waste arisings are presented and
discussed. Also the waste quantities in the present Inventory are compared with
corresponding information from previous inventories and any differences are explained.
This report has been prepared on the basis of information supplied by the UK waste
producers to Pöyry Energy, the principal contractor for the production of the 2010
Inventory. This information was verified in accordance with arrangements established by
Pöyry Energy.
The information given in this report represents the best available knowledge at the time of
compilation of the 2010 Inventory based upon the processes, strategies and assumptions
that were applicable at that time. Revision of the predictions, particularly of the long-term
forecasts, may be necessary as plans change and estimates are refined.
2010 Inventory documents
Information collected for producing the 2010 Inventory is presented in a series of reports,
as listed below.
• A summary of the 2010 Inventory;
• The main report for the 2010 Inventory (this document);
• A summary of Information for International Reporting;
• A review of the processes contributing to radioactive wastes in the UK (the report
published in 2008 has not been updated);
• Information on other radioactive substances that may require long-term
management as radioactive waste in the UK is presented in a separate report.
These reports are available in both printed and electronic format.
The 2010 Inventory documents can be obtained from the NDA (see contact details
opposite) or via the UK Radioactive Waste Inventory website www.nda.gov.uk/ukinventory.

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The results of this work will be used in the formulation of Government policy, but views expressed in this report
do not necessarily represent Government policy.
Conditions of Publication
This report is made available under the NDA transparency policy. In line with this policy,
the NDA is seeking to make information on its activities readily available, and to enable
interested parties to have access to and influence on its future programmes. The report
may be freely used for non-commercial purposes. However, all commercial uses, including
copying and re-publication, require permission from the NDA. All copyright, database
rights and other intellectual property rights reside with the NDA. Applications for
permission to use the report commercially should be made to the NDA Information
Manager.
Although great care has been taken to ensure the accuracy and completeness of the
information contained in this publication, the NDA can not assume any responsibility for
consequences that may arise from its use by other parties.
© Nuclear Decommissioning Authority 2011. All rights reserved.
ISBN 978-1-905985-21-0
Feedback & Queries
You are invited to provide feedback to the NDA on the content, clarity and presentation of
this report and the UK Radioactive Waste Inventory (i.e. the Inventory). Please do not
hesitate to contact the NDA if you have any queries on the Inventory and radioactive waste
issues. Such feedback and queries should be addressed to:

Nuclear Decommissioning Authority
Information Access Manager
Herdus House
Westlakes Science & Technology Park
Moor Row
Cumbria
CA24 3HU

Tel: [phone]
CONTENTS

1 INTRODUCTION 1
2 SCOPE AND CONVENTIONS 3
2.1 Sources of radioactive waste 3
2.2 Categories of radioactive waste 6
2.3 Scope of the Inventory 7
2.4 Conventions 8
2.5 Data collection and processing 13
2.6 Radioactive waste management 14
3 SCENARIO FOR FUTURE WASTE ARISINGS 17
3.1 Introduction 17
3.2 Nuclear Decommissioning Authority sites 17
3.3 EDF Energy sites 25
3.4 Ministry of Defence sites 26
3.5 United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority site 29
3.6 GE Healthcare Ltd sites 29
3.7 Urenco site 30
3.8 Minor waste producers 30
3.9 Discussion of scenario 30
4 WASTE QUANTITIES FROM ALL SOURCES 35
4.1 Introduction 35
4.2 Total for all wastes 35
4.3 Wastes at 1 April 2010 36
4.4 Future arisings 38
4.5 Comparison with previous inventories 40
4.6 Wastes for England, Scotland and Wales 45
4.7 Wastes from overseas materials 45
4.8 Disposals of waste 47
4.9 Uncertainty in waste volumes 48

2010 Inventory i
Contents

5 MATERIAL CONTENT OF WASTE 51
5.1 Introduction 51
5.2 Waste conditioning 51
5.3 Material components 52
5.4 Comparison with the 2007 Inventory 55
6 RADIOACTIVITY CONTENT OF WASTE 57
6.1 Introduction 57
6.2 Radionuclide production 57
6.3 Total for all wastes 59
6.4 Wastes at 1 April 2010 60
6.5 Comparison with the 2007 Inventory 62
7 REFERENCES 69

ANNEXES
ANNEX 1: Waste volumes from all sources 71
ANNEX 2: Waste volumes from each business activity 77
ANNEX 3: Waste volumes from each site 81
ANNEX 4: List of waste streams in the Inventory and their volumes 89
ANNEX 5: Glossary of terms and abbreviations 121

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 131

ii 2010 Inventory
1 INTRODUCTION

The 2010 Inventory provides the latest national record of information on radioactive wastes
in the United Kingdom (UK). It has been compiled by Pöyry Energy, jointly funded by the
Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) and the Nuclear Decommissioning
Authority (NDA). Its publication is one facet of the continuing commitment of the
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Government and the organisations responsible for radioactive wastes to openness and
transparency in matters relating to the management of these wastes.
The Inventory is updated periodically with the best available information. The impacts of
changes in plant operating lifetimes, decommissioning programmes and waste
management strategies are incorporated. The 2010 Inventory contains information on
radioactive wastes in the UK that existed at 1 April 2010 and those that were projected to
arise after that date. The Inventory includes information on the quantities, types and
characteristics of wastes.
Forecasts of radioactive waste arisings in the UK are based on assumptions as to the
nature and scale of future operations and activities. However, these forecasts, particularly
in the longer term, may change for policy, commercial, technological or regulatory reasons,
and current information may be subsequently refined.
Not all radioactive materials in the UK are classified as waste. Nuclear materials such as
plutonium, uranium and spent nuclear fuel have potential value - uranium and plutonium
can be used to make nuclear fuel, and spent nuclear fuel can be reprocessed to recover
uranium and plutonium for reuse. However, this might change in the future if there was no
further use for some or all of these materials. Information on UK civil nuclear materials
and other potential radioactive waste is given in a separate document [1].
Preparation of the 2010 Inventory has involved the compilation and assessment of detailed
numerical and descriptive information for 1,312 waste streams. The data have been
provided by the organisations that operate sites in the UK where there are radioactive
wastes. Data relating to all activities, including defence, have been included on a voluntary
basis. The 2010 Inventory has comprised a full update of waste stream volumes and a
partial update of other information. The information provided has been checked for
consistency and correct use of reporting conventions. However no attempt has been made
to validate the assumptions or quantities reported, which are those of the waste producers.
Preparation of a UK Inventory of radioactive waste is driven by the commitment to
openness and transparency and by two international obligations: the Euratom Community
Plan of Action in the Field of Radioactive Waste and the Joint Convention on the Safety of
Spent Fuel Management and on the Safety of Radioactive Waste Management.
The Euratom Plan of Action requires the Commission to provide the Council periodically
with an analysis of the situation and prospects in the field of radioactive waste
management in Member States. This is based on data provided by the Member States,
including the amounts of the various categories of waste disposed or in interim storage,
and an estimate of future arisings. The latest report was published in September 2008 [2].
The Joint Convention on the Safety of Spent Fuel Management and on the Safety of
Radioactive Waste Management came into force in June 2001 and requires each
Contracting Party to submit a report on the measures taken to implement the obligations of
the Convention. These national reports contain an inventory of radioactive waste that is
held in storage, that has been disposed or that has resulted from past practices. The UK’s

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The use of “Government” in this report refers collectively to the UK Government and the devolved
administrations for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

2010 Inventory 1
1 Introduction

third national report for the Convention was provided to the International Atomic Energy
Agency (IAEA) in May 2008 [3].
The Inventory also provides a consistent reference source of information on radioactive
wastes used by:
• UK Government Departments, Devolved Administrations and Agencies responsible
for radioactive waste management policy and for regulation of waste management
operations and disposal;
• NDA, a non-departmental public body with responsibilities for overseeing the
decommissioning and clean up of the UK’s public sector civil nuclear liabilities and,
more recently, for developing, delivering and implementing programmes for interim
storage and disposal of UK higher activity wastes;
• Those concerned with the planning, operation and performance of systems and
facilities for the management of radioactive wastes in the UK;
• Other interested parties.
The structure of the remainder of this report is as follows. Chapter 2 describes the sources
and categories of radioactive waste, the scope of the Inventory and the terms and
conventions used in reporting Inventory data, and the data collection and processing
procedures used. It also provides an overview of how radioactive wastes are managed in
the UK. Chapter 3 describes the scenario that forms the basis of the forecast of future
waste arisings. Chapter 4 presents waste volumes in total from all sources and a
comparison with the 2007 Inventory. Chapter 5 gives information on the material content
of wastes, and Chapter 6 gives information on their radioactivity. All references are listed
in Chapter 7.
Annexes 1-4 provide supplementary information on waste volumes at different levels of
detail: in total from all sources (Annex 1), from each business activity (Annex 2), from each
site (Annex 3) and for each waste stream (Annex 4). Annex 5 provides a glossary of terms
and abbreviations.
In addition to the report giving information on UK civil nuclear materials and other potential
radioactive waste [1], two companion reports have also been issued. Radioactive Wastes
in the UK - A Summary of the 2010 Inventory [4] provides an overview of radioactive
wastes and their management in the UK, and gives a summary of their quantities and
characteristics. The 2010 UK Radioactive Waste Inventory - A Summary of Information for
International Reporting [5] provides an overview of the quantities of radioactive wastes in
the UK to facilitate international reporting obligations.
All reports are available on NDA’s website at www.nda.gov.uk/ukinventory.

2 2010 Inventory