Latest news with #GeologicalDisposal
BBC News
01-05-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Sellafield plans new building to store radioactive waste
Work to build a storage facility to keep radioactive waste for up to 100 years is set to take a step in Cumbria, wants to build the second of four new units to store intermediate level waste, as the company works to decommission ageing buildings at its Seascale site manages more radioactive waste in one place than any other nuclear facility in the world, according to planning project was approved in 2023 and an application has now been submitted to the Environment Agency (EA) seeking permission to abstract water from the site. The water would have to be extracted as the ground is dug up to build the new facility, a Sellafield spokesman was needed as part of the building phase, they said, adding there were no risks of contamination from radioactive show the building storing the nuclear waste would be about the size of a football pitch and as tall as about six double-decker walls of the store which has already been built are about 5ft (1.5m) thick, with a 6.5ft (2m) thick said it planned to start building work this year, with the second store becoming operational in waste would be kept there for up to 100 years, papers show, and then moved to a Geological Disposal Facility (GDF) - an underground storage facility which could be built in Cumbria.A consultation on the plans to abstract water from the Sellafield site by the EA closes on 2 May. Follow BBC Cumbria on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram.
Yahoo
07-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Protesters step up pressure over nuclear talks
Lincolnshire County Council is being urged to withdraw from talks to bury nuclear waste in the countryside. Nuclear Waste Services (NWS), a government body, has earmarked an area near Louth, in East Lindsey, as a possible site for a Geological Disposal Facility (GDF). Ahead of a meeting of East Lindsey District Council on Wednesday, opponents gathered to support a motion urging the county council to withdraw from the consultation process. NWS said a GDF would only be built where there was a "suitable site with a willing community". In 2021, the district council joined a community partnership group with NWS to examine a previous proposal to bury waste at a former gas terminal in Theddlethorpe, near Mablethorpe. However, in January this year, NWS announced it had moved the proposed location of the facility to land between Gayton le Marsh and Great Carlton. Last month, the leader of the district council indicated that it would withdraw from the talks. Councillor Travis Hesketh (Independent), who brought the motion, told the meeting: "I represent the area where the nuclear dump was originally going to be placed, but now it's moved. "We're here today because East Lindsey has said they are going to pull out, which is a terrific thing, but they need to go further. "They need to say we oppose this and we want Lincolnshire County Council to do the same." He said the proposals had "ruined two communities" and claimed house values had been "decimated". "No one can sell their house in the Carlton or Gayton area, they're stuck. It's time to make a decision," he added. The motion was passed with 43 votes in favour, four abstentions, and no votes against, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS). District council leader Craig Leyland told campaigners that the decision by NWS to relocate the search area from the gas terminal to open countryside "was a very different matter". The council was due to meet on 23 April to discuss a proposal to officially withdraw from the process, he said. One campaigner who attended the protest, 64-year-old Nigel, from Theddlethorpe, said he had been fighting the plans since "day one". "Now the area of focus has shifted, I feel I need to support the people affected in that area as well. We're just trying to force the council's hand now," he said. Martin Hill, the leader of the county council, told LDRS that although there was potential for big economic growth and investment, he understood that "we are now talking about a different scenario", with the obvious impact on property values and local people. "I think, along with East Lindsey, we should resolve this as soon as possible. The only issue to me is whether that is done by the public directly, or whether the councils make the decision on their behalf," he added. Simon Hughes, siting and communities director at NWS, said: "We remain fully committed to working with Lincolnshire County Council as the remaining relevant principal local authority in the community partnership as we continue the search for a suitable site for a GDF. "A GDF will only be built where there is a suitable site with a willing community, and we are looking forward to building on our engagement to ensure people have the information they need to make an informed decision." Listen to highlights from Lincolnshire on BBC Sounds, watch the latest episode of Look North or tell us about a story you think we should be covering here. Nuclear waste plan 'would scar Lincolnshire Wolds' 'Nuclear waste would be disaster for our seaside' Potential nuclear waste sites identified East Lindsey District Council Lincolnshire County Council NWS
BBC News
30-01-2025
- General
- BBC News
Cumbria and Lincolnshire chosen as potential nuclear waste sites
Three areas have been shortlisted to host a nuclear waste disposal in Mid Copeland and South Copeland in Cumbria and east Lincolnshire have become "Areas of Focus" for Nuclear Waste Services (NWS) to help consider their potential to host a Geological Disposal Facility (GDF).NWS said construction would only start when a suitable site was identified and a potential community had confirmed its "willingness" to host the events will be held to talk about "what this means for each area", it added. The locations have been identified using geological data, areas of environmental protection and consideration of built-up needed the right sub-surface geological environment deep underground, a suitable surface location and the ability to connect the two with accessways. 'Willing community' Two surface Areas of Focus have been identified in Mid Copeland, east of Sellafield and east of South Copeland, land west of Haverigg has been sub-surface level in the sea off the coast of Cumbria would be the same for will now evaluate the sites and carry out investigations to consider the potential for each area to "safely" host a Parr, chief executive officer at NWS, said it was "delivering a GDF as the safe, secure and long-term solution for the most hazardous radioactive waste"."A GDF requires a suitable site and a willing community and will only be developed when both are in place," she is hosting a series of webinars and local drop-in events to explain Areas of Focus.
