§ Llew SmithTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what progress has been made in(a) decommissioning redundant facilities and (b) decontamination of radioactively polluted land at the Dounreay nuclear site. [15580]
§ Mr. WilsonDounreay is being decommissioned. In October 2000 UKAEA published the Dounreay Site Restoration Plan, a comprehensive blueprint for restoring the site. Most of the radioactive hazards will be removed over the next 25 years. The plan is available on the UKAEA website (http://www.ukaea.org.uk/sites/dounreay/rplan.htm).
Work is currently in progress on the Prototype Fast Reactor, the Dounreay Fast Reactor and redundant plants within the Fuel Cycle Area. New and upgraded facilities have also been commissioned for the management of wastes and discharges.
The programme includes the decontamination of areas of land where low levels of radioactive contamination has occurred in the past. The majority of identified areas have already been decontaminated.
§ Llew SmithTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what progress has been made in decommissioning the Windscale plutonium production piles at Sellafield; and what is her estimate of the cost of decommissioning these piles. [15579]
§ Mr. WilsonBoth Piles are in a safe, stable condition and pose no threat to the public or the environment.
Progress on decommissioning the Pile 1 and Pile 2 reactors is as follows:
The air and water ducts of Pile 1 have been cleared and a contract for dismantling the core of the reactor for treatment and storage was awarded to a consortium in 1997. A comprehensive technical review is currently in progress to ensure that the project arrangements are robust before proceeding. Pile 2 is currently in safe care and maintenance pending decommissioning at a later stage.
UKAEA's detailed cost estimates for decommissioning both Piles will be completed when the plans for their removal are finalised.