26.08.2015   Radioactive waste management and contaminated site clean-up

Amount of LLW in Scotland

The amount of LLW existing at present in Scotland and that which is esti­mated to arise during the operational and decommissioning lifetimes of the

544 Radioactive waste management and contaminated site clean-up Table 17.2 Low level radioactive waste in Scotland by owner and location

Owner and location

Current stored (m3)

Total lifetime packaged (m3)

Lifetime packaged (%)

NDA

Dounreay

9,360

113,000

30

Hunterston A

949

57,600

15

Chapelcross

20,000

167,000

45

Total NDA

30,309

337,600

90

EDF

Hunterston B

100

15,300

4

Torness

92

20,300

5

Total EDF

192

35,600

9

MoD

NRTE Vulcan

0

36

<0.1

Rosyth Royal Dockyard

27

183

<0.1

HMNB Clyde

7

770

0.2

Total MoD

34

989

<1

Grand Totals

30,535

374,189

Source: Figures compiled by permission of NDA and DECC from Copyright data of NDA and DECC in NDA UKRWI 2010.

nuclear facilities is given in Table 17.2. This amount of LLW is around 6% of the UK predicted total of LLW to arise (NDA, 2011a). The LLW volume estimated to arise and require disposal is dominated by the decommissioning activities on the NDA estate, being 90% of the Scottish total. A large percent­age of the LLW arising from NDA sites’ decommissioning activities, and that which will arise when the operating nuclear power stations undergo decom­missioning, is in the form of concrete, rubble and lightly contaminated metals. This often has radioactivity levels significantly below the maximum limits for LLW of 4 GBq/te alpha and 12 GBq/te beta/gamma. There is opportunity for decommissioning sites to explore routes other than to LLWR for disposal of this type of LLW rather than using up valuable space in the LLWR.

LLW of similarly low radioactivity, but generated in very small quantities from hospitals and universities is termed very low level waste (VLLW). It is able to be disposed of safely along with municipal waste.