Experience in Progressing the Planning Application for New LLW Disposal Facilities for Dounreay
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Experience in Progressing the Planning Application for New LLW Disposal Facilities for Dounreay David Broughton and Michael S Tait UKAEA, Dounreay Caithness, UK, KW14 7TZ ABSTRACT An integral part of decommissioning the Nuclear Decommissioning Agency’s (NDA) Dounreay site is the management of the solid low level radioactive waste (LLW). The United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) has developed and progressed a technical and stakeholder programme that has enabled it to submit a robust Planning Application to Highland Council (HC) for New LLW Disposal Facilities at Dounreay and to submit substantive preliminary safety and environmental cases to the Nuclear Installations Inspectorate (NII) and the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA). To UKAEA’s knowledge this is the most advanced project in the UK for new LLW disposal facilities. Experience has been gained in progressing the Best Practicable Environmental Option (BPEO) Study, working with regulators in unfamiliar areas, and undertaking groundbreaking stakeholder consultation. Key lessons learnt are that stakeholders should be engaged in dialogue on the project as early as possible, documentation must be high quality and tailored to its audience, and internationally respected and credible consultants must be involved. INTRODUCTION The project to develop and implement a long term strategy for managing all Dounreay’s existing and future LLW was initiated in 1999 and is novel in the UK. Between 38,000m3 and 64,000m3 (packaged volume) of LLW and between 26,000m3 and 45,000m3 of the high volume but low activity (HVLA) category1 of LLW is estimated to be produced. This is in addition to the LLW that has already been disposed of in existing authorised facilities, which are now closed and have interim caps on them. Current LLW arisings are stored temporarily on site in new and suitably converted facilities. A BPEO Study [1] was completed in 2004 and an Overall Strategy [2] was developed and published in 2005. A Planning Application [3] was submitted to HC in June 2006 for a key element of the strategy, the construction at Dounreay of New LLW Disposal Facilities. The estimated cost of the New LLW Disposal Facilities project including operations is around £140M. UKAEA’s experience on this project is presented for the interest of others who may need to develop similar facilities in the UK as part of their decommissioning programmes. UK BACKGROUND There are current UK and Scottish initiatives and policy developments that are closely associated with this project’s technical work and its assessment methods. The project has been developing during the same period as the reviews of both ILW by CoRWM and LLW by _____________________ 1 building rubble and soil from demolition
DEFRA and the Devolved Administrations [4]. The project has contributed to both these programmes. There have been instances where the project has been forcing the pace. The authors have also been involved with developing stakeholder engagement ideas at European level through the EU funded COWAM and
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