Radioactive Waste (Hansard, 29 January 1976)

§ Mr. Skeet
asked the Secretary of State for Energy what progress has been made by the AEA in the development of a process for the glassification of radioactive waste; what international collaboration has been negotiated with other States; and what are the tentative dates for a commercial plant in the United Kingdom.

§ Mr. Eadie
The glassification process has been successfully developed on a laboratory scale. Further work is required to demonstrate it on an industrial scale. There is full exchange of technical information with the research, development and demonstration programmes in France and the Federal German Republic through the joint company United Reprocessors G.m.b.H. There are also exchanges with the technical programme in the United States of America. The present United Kingdom programme aims at commencing full operation of an industrial scale plant in the 1980s.

§ Mr. Skeet
asked the Secretary of State for Energy, under contracts negotiated by the AEA for reprocessing nuclear fuel elements, what provision has been made for the disposal of radioactive waste and in overseas contracts which of the parties has eventual custody of the waste products.

§ Mr. Eadie
Reprocessing contracts are negotiated by British Nuclear Fuels Limited. The waste arising from contracts currently running with overseas countries will be stored here with that arising from the reprocessing of fuel for the home generating boards; it represents less than 10 per cent. of the latter quantity. If the Government decide that further overseas work for reprocessing may be undertaken the contracts will contain an option to return the resultant waste to the country of origin.

§ Mr. Skeet
asked the Secretary of State for Energy what percentage of spent irradiated fuel elements accepted by 321W British Nuclear Fuels Limited for reprocessing is composed of radioactive waste, uranium and plutonium.

§ Mr. Eadie
The composition of irradiated fuels depends on its irradiation history. Longer irradiation, with more electricity production, converts more uranium into fission product waste and plutonium. Typical compositions are:

Relatively low irradiation from stations (3,000 Mw days per ton) Per cent. Relatively high irradiation from oxide fuelled thermal reactors (33,000 Mw days per ton) days per ton) Per cent.

Uranium 99.5 95.5

Plutonium 0.2 1.0

Waste 0.3 3.5

	Relatively low irradiation from stations (3,000 Mw days per ton) Per cent.	Relatively high irradiation from oxide fuelled thermal reactors (33,000 Mw days per ton) days per ton) Per cent.
Uranium	99.5	95.5
Plutonium	0.2	1.0
Waste	0.3	3.5