§ Mr. Simon HughesTo ask the Secretary of State for Energy (1) if he will make a statement on the safety assessment of the storage of Magnox spent fuel in ponds at Sellafield;
(2) what recent assessment he has made of the safety and appropriateness of storage in ponds of spent Magnox fuel; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. BaldryThe safe storage of spent Magnox fuel, at nuclear licensed sites, is a matter for the site operators who must satisfy the licensing requirements of the Health and Safety Executive's nuclear installations inspectorate.
The NII carries out regular inspections of the storage facilities. Arrangements to ensure their safety include the provision of safety assessment cases by the operator for review by the NII.
With regard to Sellafield, the NII reviewed and was satisfied with the safety assessment case prepared by British Nuclear Fuels plc for the Magnox storage facilities in the new fuel handling plant (B311) before it became operational in 1988. The most recent safety case for the older storage pond (B30) was received by the NII at the end of 1989 and is currently being assessed.