HC Deb 14 November 1988 vol 140 cc425-6W
Mr. Salmond

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy which countries and organisations have signed contracts with British Nuclear Fuels Limited for the reprocessing of nuclear fuel which do not include options for the return of the waste; what are the approximate volumes of low intermediate and high level waste material which are expected to arise from each of these contracts; and whether the Government proposes to dispose of all such waste in the United Kingdom.

Mr. Michael Spicer

Since 1976, BNFL's contracts for the reprocessing of overseas spent fuel have contained options for the return of wastes. The Government intend that reprocessing contracts with overseas customers should continue to contain such options, that the options should be exercised and that the wastes should be returned.

BNFL's overseas reprocessing contracts before 1976 did not contain such options. These contracts were signed with utilities in Canada, the Federal Republic of Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland. The volume arising from each country is commercially confidential.

The total volumes of waste which are likely to arise from BNFL's pre-1976 contracts are:

Cubic metres
High-level waste 100
Intermediate-level waste 3,000
Low-level waste 20,000

These wastes will represent only a small proportion of total wastes arising in the United Kingdom. They will be disposed of along with other United Kingdom waste but will not require extra disposal facilities to be provided here.