Nuclear Decommissioning – Managing the Legacy of Low Level Waste

The operation and decommissioning of nuclear sites and the operation of non-nuclear sectors such as medicine, oil and gas facilities is forecast to produce significant quantities of very low level radioactive solid wastes over future decades. Only one facility in the UK is able to deal with low level wastes, of any scale, and even then only with a limited capacity.

At present the UK’s main approach involves avoiding production of such wastes, where possible, and the application of the waste hierarchy (reduce, reuse, recycle, etc). It is inevitable though that significant quantities of solid, mainly soil and rubble, wastes will be produced for which disposal to near-surface facilities is the only credible option. Interim storage at the sites of generation may be a possibility in some cases but is not preferred by government policy.

Attention to issues of health and the environment continues to rise in the UK and the industry must improve, manage and minimise the risks associated with low level wastes (LLW) and materials to achieve health and safety standards, and good environmental performance.

The SD:SPUR conference Nuclear decommissioning and the waste hierarchy: where we are, challenges and issues will address such issues. The event will identify the differing views of all relevant stakeholder groups in relation to the management of LLW. The event will discuss the management options for LLW in general terms, as well as discussing the available options for the management of LLW and the public acceptability of the risks associated with these options. Whatever future decisions are made, this waste already exists and management solutions need to be explored, the beginnings of which will be addressed at the one-day conference.

The event will take place on 11 May 2011 at Maple House, Birmingham from 10am – 4pm. For further details or to book please visit www.sdspur.com/nuclear_decommissioning.html or call 020 7549 3300.