§ Mr. Llew SmithTo ask the President of the Board of Trade what is her Department's policy on the duration of contracts(a) British Nuclear Fuels and (b) the Atomic Energy Authority may sign with foreign companies for the storage of spent nuclear fuel at (i) Sellafield and (ii) Dounreay. [4304]
§ Mr. BattleBritish Nuclear Fuel's contracts with foreign companies are only for reprocessing spent nuclear fuel at Sellafield. The fuel is stored awaiting reprocessing in Thorp. The duration of storage is a commercial matter for the company involved. Similarly, UKAEA imports spent nuclear fuel only for reprocessing and not for storage. It should be noted that there is only a limited capacity for the temporary storage of nuclear fuels prior to reprocessing so it is in the commercial interests of both organisations to make optimum use of this.