BRITAIN鈥橲 multimillion-pound business in reprocessing spent nuclear fuel
from abroad is facing an uncertain future because of a crackdown by the Scottish
Environment Protection Agency (SEPA). Insiders expect the agency to agree a ban
next week on reprocessing spent fuel from foreign research reactors at the
Dounreay plant in Caithness unless radioactive waste is returned immediately to
the countries of origin.
This would create problems for Dounreay鈥檚 operator, the UK Atomic Energy
Authority (AEA), and could also affect the Sellafield nuclear reprocessing plant
in Cumbria run by British Nuclear Fuels. The Environment Agency, SEPA鈥檚
counterpart for England and Wales, says that if the Scottish agency restricts
foreign reprocessing 鈥渢hen obviously we would have to consider it鈥� for
Sellafield.
Both plants have been separating waste from foreign spent fuel since the
1970s and storing it on site. Despite contractual commitments to return the
waste to the countries of origin, no nuclear waste has so far been sent
back.
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SEPA鈥檚 main board, which meets in Stirling on 11 February, is expected to
agree a recommendation from the board of its northern region to permit Dounreay
to reprocess more foreign fuel only if countries take back an equivalent amount
of radioactive waste at the same time. Dounreay would have to calculate the
amount that would be produced from reprocessing each cargo of spent fuel and
then send back an equivalent amount from its existing waste stores.
The northern board is worried that Dounreay is in effect acting as a dump for
nuclear waste from abroad. George Hunter, SEPA鈥檚 head of radiation protection,
describes its argument as 鈥渃ompelling鈥�. Key members of SEPA鈥檚 main board agree,
and some want to go further by banning reprocessing of foreign fuel at
Dounreay.
The AEA鈥檚 spokesman, Andy Munn, points out that returning equivalent waste
would create problems as it would be difficult to find the same mix of isotopes
in stored waste. He adds that 鈥渋t would also cause considerable problems in
foreign countries鈥�, none of which have developed long-term solutions for the
disposal of nuclear waste. For the past five years, Dounreay has been importing
spent fuel from research reactors in Belgium, Germany and Australia for
reprocessing. Although it has not yet won any more foreign reprocessing
contracts, it is eagerly seeking them.