Nuclear Legacy Advisory Forum
NuLeaf Presentation
NDA Strategy II
20th April 2010
NDA Programme Manager
NDA Head of Strategy
NDA Head of Communications
Richard Arnott
Clive Nixon
Bill Hamilton
1
NDA Strategy I
Background
• NDA established in April 2005 (recent 5th birthday)
• NDA Strategy I published April 2006
• Energy Act 2004 requires revision at least every 5 years
• Strategy II publication date 31st March 2011
Scope of NDA Strategy
NUCLEAR MATERIALS
MANAGEMENT
SITE RESTORATION
INTEGRATED WASTE
MANAGEMENT
SPENT FUEL MANAGEMENT
BUSINESS
OPTIMISATION
Non NDA
Liability
Management
Site
End States
Land Quality
Management
Clean-up &
Decomm’g
Plutonium
Uranium
Magnox Fuel
Oxide Fuel
Exotic Fuel
Higher
Active Wastes
Lower
Activity
Wastes
Non-Rad &
Hazardous
Waste
Land &
Property
Management
Revenue
Optimisation
Peter Brazier
(Chris Kaye)
Anna Clark
Anna Clark
John
Inkester
(S Rhodes)
Paul Gilchrist
(N Hough)
Paul Gilchrist
(C Rhodes)
Paul Gilchrist
(C Rhodes)
Danny Fox
Danny Fox
James
McKinney
Matthew
Clark
Matthew
Clark
David
Atkinson
Michael
Glass
CRITICAL ENABLERS
Skills &
Capability
Socio
Economics
Public &
Stakeholder
Engagement
International
Relations
HSSE
R&D
Knowledge
Management
Asset
Management
Transport
& Logistics
Funding
Competition
Contracting
& Incentives
Supply Chain
Nigel
Couzens
Jonathan
Jenkin
Richard Griffin
John
Mathieson
Alan Rae
(D Urquhart)
Melanie
Brownridge
Stuart Hunt
John Inkester
(Martin Grey)
Steve Dutton
(INS)
Martin
Liefeith
Phil Trevena
C Frankland
Sam Dancy
NDA Strategic Themes
• Site Restoration
Strategy for the remediation activities required to deliver a site or facility that
has ceased operations through to the Site End State
Return our designated sites to societal use
• Nuclear Materials Management
Strategy for the safe management and ultimate disposition of UK owned
Plutonium
arisen from reprocessing spent fuel
Uranics
arisen from UK civil nuclear fuel cycle operations
• Spent Fuels Management
Strategy to ensure all spent fuels are managed in a safe and secure way for
the lifecycle Magnox output from 26 Magnox reactors, electricity generation
Oxide
AGR operated by BE, LWR operated by foreign utilities
Exotics
Non-standard fuels, legacy from industry activities
NDA Strategic Themes
• Integrated Waste Management
Strategy to optimise waste management solutions for
Lower & Higher activity wastes, and Non-Radiological wastes
• Business Optimisation
Maximise value from our assets - including land and property –
To maximise net benefit to the taxpayer
• Enabling Strategies (13)
Supporting NDA strategies required to enable delivery of the above :
Health, safety, security, safeguards and environment
Transport and Logistics, Asset Management
Research and Development, Supply chain development
Skills, Socio-economics, Competitions, etc
Strategy Management System (SMS)
Strategy II
Energy Act 2004: Revise & publish NDA Strategy at least every 5 years
…. therefore it’s a snap-shot in time
Strategy II
Approach to Consultation / Publication
Key Programme Dates
National Stakeholder Group (NSG)
17 Mar 2010
Review by Strategic Authority Forum (SAF)
26 April 2010
Internal Peer Review (SII & SEA)
28 April 2010
Key Stakeholder Review (SII & SEA)
20 May 2010
NDA Board - Update / share Draft SII
26 May 2010
SDDG Final Review - No objections
02 June 2010
SII Content cut-off
18 June 2010
Final SAF endorsement for Consultation
28 June 2010
NDA Executive team endorsement
13 July 2010
NDA Board endorsement
28 July 2010
Approval by Government Officials
13 Aug 2010
Public Consultation Start
01 Sept 2010
National Stakeholder Group (NSG)
21 Sept 2010
Public Consultation End (12 weeks)
24 Nov 2010
NDA Board endorse for publication
27 Jan 2011
Ministerial endorsement
04 Mar 2011
Publication of Strategy II
31 Mar 2011
Key NuLeaf dates
• Consultation starts
1 September 2010
• Mid Consultation NSG
21/22 September 2010
• Consultation Ends
24 November 2010
• Strategy published
31 March 2011
10
Planned Stakeholder Engagement
•
All key stakeholders
12week consultation period
Two NSG meetings
•
Nuclear Regulators
SDDG monthly meetings
•
Local Authorities
NuLeaf meeting 20th April, London
SCCORS late May &/or Early Oct
•
Site Stakeholder Groups
UK Roadshow during Sept / Oct
•
Trade Unions
Strategic Forum 3rd June 2010
•
SLCs / PBOs
Partnering events
•
Input to the “UK Decommissioning & Waste Management” conference
Rheged, Penrith, 2nd & 3rd November 2010
Clive Nixon
NDA Head of Strategy
12
Recap - Scope of NDA Strategy
NUCLEAR MATERIALS
MANAGEMENT
SITE RESTORATION
INTEGRATED WASTE
MANAGEMENT
SPENT FUEL MANAGEMENT
BUSINESS
OPTIMISATION
Non NDA
Liability
Management
Site
End States
Land Quality
Management
Clean-up &
Decomm’g
Plutonium
Uranium
Magnox Fuel
Oxide Fuel
Exotic Fuel
Higher
Active Wastes
Lower
Activity
Wastes
Non-Rad &
Hazardous
Waste
Land &
Property
Management
Revenue
Optimisation
Peter Brazier
(Chris Kaye)
Anna Clark
Anna Clark
John
Inkester
(S Rhodes)
Paul Gilchrist
(N Hough)
Paul Gilchrist
(C Rhodes)
Paul Gilchrist
(C Rhodes)
Danny Fox
Danny Fox
James
McKinney
Matthew
Clark
Matthew
Clark
David
Atkinson
Michael
Glass
CRITICAL ENABLERS
Skills &
Capability
Socio
Economics
Public &
Stakeholder
Engagement
International
Relations
HSSE
R&D
Knowledge
Management
Asset
Management
Transport
& Logistics
Funding
Competition
Contracting
& Incentives
Supply Chain
Nigel
Couzens
Jonathan
Jenkin
Richard Griffin
John
Mathieson
Alan Rae
(D Urquhart)
Melanie
Brownridge
Stuart Hunt
John Inkester
(Martin Grey)
Steve Dutton
(INS)
Martin
Liefeith
Phil Trevena
C Frankland
Sam Dancy
NDA Strategy Integrity
Critical Enablers
Business
Integrated Waste
Nuclear Materials
NDA
STRATEGY
Site Restoration
Spent Fuel
Management
Optmisation
Critical Enablers
time
14
Review of progress since Strategy I
•
Successes
– Competition Programme
– Strategy development
– New future for Springfields
– Extended generation
– Industry restructuring
– Lifetime plans
•
Challenges
– Progress on risk reduction in Legacy ponds and silos
– Accelerated Magnox decommissioning
– Reprocessing dates moving to the right
15
Strategic Issues
•
Affordability
•
Interaction with New Build
– Materials management and national nuclear infrastructure
– Skills and workforce alignment
– End states
•
Changing policy positions
– Scottish Higher Activity Waste
– Pu Disposition
•
Managing Radioactive Waste Safely process
16
Strategic Issues
•
Aging plant and asset management
•
Best use of estate wide assets
– Co-location
•
Approach to next societal use
– “End States” and “Interim States”
•
Information and knowledge management
•
Through life management of 3rd party liabilities
17
Site Restoration
18
Site Restoration - Objective
To return our designated sites to societal use
NDA’s main function is to carry out
decommissioning and clean-up
Site Restoration is the driving strategy the
other strategies provide support
Site Restoration Scope
•
Site Restoration covers three key activities required to deliver a site or
facility through to a planned Site End State
– Decommissioning and Clean-Up
Cleaning out, dismantling and demolishing redundant facilities (from
cessation of operations to demolition)
– Land Quality Management
Managing contaminated ground and groundwater
– Site End States
Providing credible objectives for the restoration of each site; defining the
physical condition of a site when NDA has completed its mission
Site Restoration
•
2006 Strategy attempted to identify the main elements in the lifecycle
scope
•
Strategy II tries to focus more on the near term and saturates those
projects where the risks are high
•
Resources are constrained
Site Restoration - Challenge
Restoration of the UK’s nuclear legacy presents a major and time
critical challenge; in 2009/10 the discounted future cost estimate
amounts to £40.8 billion
–
–
–
–
Legacy plants dating from late 1940’s and 1950’s
Large quantities of old corroding radioactive waste
Degrading infrastructure
Contaminated ground and / or groundwater at every NDA site
as a result of various land uses (not all nuclear)
– Volume of ground estimated to be radioactively contaminated
exceeds (~x4) current UK low level waste disposal capacity.
Site Restoration – Key Messages
•
Undertake Site Restoration as soon as reasonably practicable,
taking account of all relevant factors
• Focus resource on reducing high risks to people and the
environment
• Utilise Interim States for timely
achievement of objectives
•
•
Employ fit-for-purpose
restoration objectives
Ensure Site Restoration encourages the highest standards in
health, safety, security and environmental performance, offers
value for money and employs good practice
Question
•
The NDA believes that our focus should be on Interim States and
our decision on site end states should be made closer to the time
when the next planned use is apparent
– What are your views on the NDA’s position?
– What attributes should any Interim State have, and which are
particularly important to you and why?
– Does a focus on interim states raise any concerns?
– To what extent should local authorities be engaged in identifying
interim states at sites?
Integrated Waste Management
Strategic objectives in waste
management
•
•
Our goals:
– implement Government policies for radioactive waste and
decommissioning and comply with the requirements of the Energy
Act 2004
– deliver effective waste management solutions to support the cleanup
mission
We have taken on wider responsibilities since Strategy 1:
– UK-wide responsibility for Low Level Waste strategy and
implementation;
– responsibility for implementing the UK Geological Disposal Facility;
and
– responsibilities under Scottish policy to produce a higher activity
waste management strategy for Scotland
Risk reduction – legacy facilities
• We will continue to prioritise risk reduction by waste retrieval
• Earliest waste retrieval is paramount – the need for
subsequent waste treatment and packaging in some instances
is accepted
• The door is open for innovative waste treatment and
packaging technology
Strategic points
• Diversified waste disposal
• Other Intermediate Level Waste opportunities
• Solid Low Level Waste Strategy
• Scottish policy for Higher Activity Waste
Diversified waste disposal
Pursuing flexibility, value for money and fit-for-purpose disposal
solutions: moving away from the old UK waste disposal paradigm
•
•
•
Optimising the use of LLWR
– Landfill-type disposal of VLLW, on-, near- and off-site
– Incineration for volume reduction
– Waste hierarchy opportunities
Optimising the use of the Geological Disposal Facility
– Near surface disposal opportunities for Reactor Decommissioning
Waste (ILW)
Implications
– More locations
– Earlier
– Transport
Other Intermediate Level Waste
opportunities
Challenging the old ideas
• Develop the opportunities to treat and store ILW in fewer
locations
• New waste package concepts
• Thermal waste treatment: volume reduction, value for money,
early immobilisation and fit-for-purpose wasteforms
• Waste transport infrastructure is the catalyst
Solid Low Level Waste strategy
We consulted upon UK Nuclear industry strategy for solid LLW in 2009.
What did we learn?
• Respondents endorsed key themes of
the strategy – eg waste hierarchy
• Early dialogue with stakeholders and
local communities is essential to
successful implementation
• Good waste management solutions
consider local issues as well as
national
Question
•
What does the Integrated Waste Management Strategy mean
for you in your area?
•
What are the opportunities and/or the main hurdles to
implementation and how they might be overcome (eg on
‘other ILW opportunities’)?
Spent Fuel Management
Magnox Context
Current Inventory:
•Magnox fuel : 4500 te to be reprocessed, of which
– Wetted fuel ~500 te (Mostly at Sellafield)
– Dry Fuel ~ 4000 te (at Reactor Sites, e.g. in cores)
It is important to control the amount of Magnox fuel stored in
Ponds:
– Magnox Fuel can start to corrode after approximately 5
years in fuel ponds
Example of potential additions to inventory:
– Dounreay Fast Reactor Breeder: < 45 te (i.e. 1% extra)
– Wylfa and Oldbury extension : < 20 te (i.e. 0.5% extra)
Magnox – Main Issues
•
Magnox Reprocessing uses oldest facilities
– Increasingly expensive to maintain
•
Risk of Early Plant Failure
– Reprocessing process operates in series
• Single plant failure can slow / stop the whole process
– Contingency work progressing but still immature
– NDA has now set Failure Criteria / Strategic Tolerances for the
MOP associated with plant longevity, e.g.
• Dissolver Life
• Avoidance of new plant requiring major investment
Current Magnox Strategy
Deliver Magnox Operating Plan (MOP)
– Extend power generation as far as possible
– Predicted finish 2016
Maximise opportunities to incorporate other materials in
reprocessing stream
– For some spent metal type fuels this is the only technically
underpinned management option
Develop Contingency Options in event of plant failure
– Fuel Drying and long term Dry Storage
– Alternative options
Magnox Drying and Dry Storage
•
Significant Investment in Fuel Drying and Dry Fuel Storage Project
– Commenced during last half of 2007
– Investment increased 2009/10
– Further increase in investment planned for 2010/11
•
Loosely based on metal fuel drying project completed at Hanford,
USA.
– Dried and dry stored 2100 te of pond stored metal fuel.
•
Now incorporating the options to dry and dry store other fuel
types, such as oxide and exotics
Oxide Reference Strategy
•
Current reference oxide strategy
– Reprocess contracted “Overseas” LWR fuel
– Receive and manage AGR fuel
• ~3000te Historic Fuel will be reprocessed
• ~3100 te Future Fuel will be stored and may be reprocessed
• Need to keep extra space available if BE extend AGR station
lifetimes
– Very small amount of corroded fuel – priority reprocessing
•
Aim to achieve fuel management to maximise the cost benefit
– E.g. by develop optimised lifecycle for AGR fuel
Oxide Fuel Credible Options
1.
Reprocess minimum contracted fuel and stop
–
no new plant
2.
Reprocess until the end-of-life of the existing plant
3.
Reprocess all UK & Overseas fuel
–
Refurbish & replace plant as required
–
Eventually throughput circa 250 te p.a. from UK AGRs
4.
Reprocess all UK & Overseas fuel
–
Consider extra business to offset costs and optimise use of the
assets
–
Refurbish & replace plant as required
5.
Stop Repro – store, immobilise and dispose
NOTE: Current reference strategy placed between 1 & 2
MOD fuels
DFR
PFR fuel
Thorp ‘Non-Standard’
Exotics
Inventory
HEU & Research
MOX Fuels
& PIE Cans
DFR
‘Legacy Carbide fuels
WAGR Fuels
Metals’
Zebra
Exotics Strategy / Issues
UK Exotics Disposition: To ensure the continued safe management, optimised
lifecycle approach and then ultimate disposition of Exotic fuels
FUEL
•
•
•
•
SAFE STORE
TREAT
STORE
PRODUCTS
Total Inventory liability (circa 500te)
Outside standard arrangements:
– transport, storage, reprocessing and disposal
Unique challenges
– Bespoke solutions required for some exotic fuels
TREAT – Could be reprocess or immobilise
DISPOSE
Exotic Fuels Risks & Opportunities
• Multi-Track Plans for Fuels Needs to be Optimised for all
fuel types:
– Reprocess some fuels (e.g. Thorp Non-Standard)
– Immobilise, Store and Dispose (e.g. PFR Fuels)
• Significant part of the inventory has technically
immature solutions at present
• NDA wants to consider reprocessing exotic fuels using
the existing NDA estate wide infrastructure
– Where technology and logistics (timings) allow
Question
Magnox
• Given we have a mature strategy that is clear and embedded in
policy, but delivery is at risk due to ageing assets, what are your
views on NDA’s proposed approach?
Oxide
• Are the identified options the right ones to be assessing?
•
What will be the most important factors when assessing the
strategic options?