NSAN Welcomes Working Group for Copeland

NSAN welcomes the announcement of the formation of the Copeland Working Group. This is a first step in the major infrastructure development required to safely dispose of higher-activity radioactive waste.

The Working Group will now begin local discussions and fact-finding about siting a Geological Disposal Facility (GDF) in Copeland.

Radioactive Waste Management (RWM) Chief Executive, Karen Wheeler, said:

“I’m delighted at today’s news and excited about the opportunity of working with communities in Copeland through the Copeland Working Group. Today’s announcement is the first step in identifying a willing community and a suitable site to develop the UK’s capability to dispose of higher activity waste safely and securely.

“This is a vital project for the UK and for future generations. Building a GDF will be one of the biggest environmental protection projects of our lifetime, and one of the largest infrastructure projects over the next century. For the successful community, the economic, employment and investment opportunities it creates will be truly transformational. The project will create large scale employment opportunities over decades, well into the next century, as well as major scope for locally based supply chain and businesses. The Government has also committed to make significant additional investment available for the community that is selected to host a facility.

“This is just the start of that process and no decisions on a location for a GDF have been made. We know there are other communities wanting to explore this potential for their area, and I expect more communities to come forward.”

Jo Tipa, Managing Director of NSAN commented:

“To have this Working Group set up in Copeland at such an early stage in the project, shows the commitment by Radioactive Waste Management to locations that have an interest in hosting the Geological Disposal Facility (GDF), and provide the local community with a voice on whether this project is right for their community.

The opportunities for communities to host this major infrastructure and environmental project are significant, with millions of pounds being made available over the coming decades to benefit the local community.

NSAN, as the go-to-place for skills for nuclear, will support RWM, the communities and the local supply chain to develop the right skills needed to make this project a success. The GDF will create thousands of jobs well into the next century and potentially provide new transport and infrastructure.

As one of NSAN’s members, we support RWM’s commitment to finding a safe, secure and suitable location for a GDF with local community involvement and approval.”

RWM, part of the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority group (NDA), will work in partnership with a number of communities from across the country to explore how having a GDF in their area can provide long-term economic and employment benefits and play a major part in their development plans.

The search for a suitable site with a willing host community is a nationwide process in England and Wales, based on the consent of the community, and will include detailed investigations to make sure there is a suitable site to construct a safe and secure GDF. If RWM and the independent regulators don’t agree that a GDF can be designed, constructed and operated safely and securely in a location, then it won’t be built.

A GDF would be made up of highly engineered vaults located deep underground that will be designed to protect the environment and keep the radioactive waste safe and secure while the radioactivity decays naturally to safe levels. Successive UK Governments, supported by scientific advice, agree that this is the right long-term solution for our higher activity radioactive waste, and there is overwhelming international consensus, with similar programmes now underway in Canada, Finland, France, Sweden and Switzerland.

More Information on the Copeland Working Group

More Information about geological disposal