§ Lord Jenkins of Putneyasked Her Majesty's Government:
How much plutonium Wylfa nuclear power station has created since it began operation in 1971, where it has gone and where it is now, and what relationship there is at the plant between plutonium production and the generation of electricity.
§ The Minister of State, Department of Trade of Industry (Lord Fraser of Carmyllie)Information on plutonium production has been provided to Parliament each year since April 1981. Since 1986/87, estimates of the plutonium contained in the reactor discharges at Wylfa power station have been published as part of the annual plutonium figures. I cannot answer for previous Administrations. For the latest available data, I refer the noble Lord to the plutonium figures published on 13 July 1995, copies of which have been placed in the Library of the House. Amounts arising from Wylfa continue to contribute to the United Kingdom's civil holdings under international safeguards.
Irradiated fuel from Britain's various civil Magnox reactors is reprocessed together and therefore the plutonium arising, whether in store or exported, is not linked to the specific power station in which it was created.
Plutonium is a by-product of the use of uranium fuel in nuclear reactors, including ones like Wylfa, which generate electricity.