HC Deb 11 May 1998 vol 312 cc31-3W
Mr. Jim Cunningham

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what plans she has to review current policy on the reprocessing of nuclear waste. [41167]

Mr. Battle

Almost all spent nuclear fuel can be recycled to provide further energy supplies, and accordingly is not classified as waste. The Government have no plans to review their current policy on the management of spent nuclear fuel, which was set out most recently in the policy document entitled "United Kingdom Civil Nuclear Policy including Plutonium", a copy of which was placed in the Library of the House on 30 January.

Mr. Jim Cunningham

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what assessment she has made of(a) the economic benefits and (b) the safety implications of (i) dry storage and (ii) reprocessing of nuclear waste. [41168]

Mr. Battle

Almost all spent nuclear fuel can be recycled to provide further energy supplies and accordingly is not classified as waste. Government policy is that it is for the owner of spent nuclear fuel to determine the economic aspects of the various options for its management. The Health and Safety Executive will ensure that no option is carried out unless it meets adequate standards of safety.

Mr. Llew Smith

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what quantities of spent fuel have been reprocessed to date through the Thorp Plant at Sellafield; and if she will list the throughput targets provided to her Department by BNFL before active commissioning of the plant in March 1994. [40637]

Mrs. Beckett

I understand from BNFL that, as at the end of March 1998, the Thorp plant had sheared some 1,450 tonnes of spent fuel since the plant was actively commissioned in March 1994.

In July 1993 BNFL published a document entitled 'The Economic & Commercial Justification for Thorp'. That document stated that the expected throughput for the first ten years of Thorp's operation would be 7,000 tonnes.

I understand that there are currently no plans to change this target.

Mr. Llew Smith

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what is the current estimated cost of refurbishment of the reprocessing facility at Dounreay to be used to process the uranium fuel recently received from Georgia; when the plant is expected to be ready; and what further foreign customers she expects to use the plant. [40670]

Mr. Battle

The unirradiated fuel, which amounts to eighty per cent of the uranium fuel received from Georgia, will be processed in existing equipment at Dounreay which does not require refurbishment. It is likely to be two years before the remaining twenty per cent., which has been irradiated, will be reprocessed. This could be done in one of a number of different plants and a decision has yet to be made about which one to use. As the plant used will also be used to reprocess other material, it is not possible to say at this stage what share of the refurbishment cost will fall to the irradiated Georgian fuel.

Mr. Llew Smith

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what arrangements currently govern the period over which radioactive waste arising from reprocessing foreign fuel at Dounreay may be stored at the site before it is repatriated to the country of origin; and if he will place in the Library a specimen contract covering such arrangements. [40641]

Mrs. Beckett

All waste arising from reprocessing activities at Dounreay will continue to be stored in accordance with the regulatory requirements in force at the time. UKAEA contracts for reprocessing foreign nuclear materials are commercially confidential but they all comply with Government policy on nuclear waste repatriation (in force since 1976) by including a clause stipulating that waste will be returned. In all such cases this return of waste condition is backed by a Government to Government agreement. The Georgian highly enriched uranium (HEU) was recently transferred to Dounreay to improve international security. In this case, an exception to the general policy on return of waste was agreed because the Georgians do not have the capability to deal with the small quantity of waste involved.