Government confirms new plutonium immobilisation facility at Sellafield
A new plutonium immobilisation facility, making it safe for long-term storage, is to be built at Sellafield, the government has confirmed.
Sellafield
The announcement means that thousands of skilled jobs will be supported through the design, construction and operation of the facility, which is expected to be built around the end of the decade.
The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority has welcomed the news and says it will continue its research and development work identifying the preferred methods for immobilisation, before the plutonium is ready for final disposal in a Geological Disposal Facility (GDF).
The NDA added that the new facility would bring major investment to the area and support thousands of skilled jobs for decades.
Michael Shanks, the energy minister, confirmed that the organisations involved in the delivery of the new facility will include the NDA, especially Sellafield Ltd and Nuclear Waste Services, the UK National Nuclear Laboratory and the wider supply chain.
Reacting to the news, Prospect Senior Deputy General Secretary, Sue Ferns, said:
“The decision to build a new immobilisation facility at Sellafield will bring some much-needed certainty after a period of indecision and we will engage fully to understand the practical implications of this decision.
“It is however disappointing that it now seems unlikely there will be an SMR at Moorside in the foreseeable future. This must not indicate any lack of commitment to a nuclear new build programme which will be essential to ensure UK energy security and achievement of Net Zero. “
