Written question asked by Eddie McGrady (Social Democratic & Labour Party) on Monday, 1 September 2003, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 11 September 2003. It was answered by Stephen Timms (Labour) on Thursday, 11 September 2003 on behalf of the Department of Trade and Industry.

Dept of Trade and Industry

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, whether the THORP re-processing plant at Sellafield will close in 2010. - Inc ref to the July 2002 White Paper on Managing the Nuclear Legacy.

Answer: Mr. McGrady: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether the THORP reprocessing plant at Sellafield will close in 2010. [128272] Mr. Timms: BNFL expects to complete their existing order book for reprocessing spent fuel at THORP by around 2010. Operation of THORP beyond completion of the existing order book would be dependent on there being new contracts for reprocessing further spent fuel at the plant which, in the first instance, is dependent on there being customer demand. The Government's position on the future of THORP was set out in the July 2002 White Paper on Managing the Nuclear Legacy. We expect existing THORP contracts to be honoured. There are currently no proposals for new contracts for reprocessing further spent fuel at THORP. Before any such new THORP contracts could be concluded or changes made to existing contracts that increased the volume of spent fuel to be reprocessed at THORP, the approval of the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry would be required. Before making a decision on any such future proposal, the Government would review it against the specific criteria that were set out in the White Paper and would consult publicly.

Secondary information

Type: Written question
Reference: 128272; 410 c385W;410 c425W
Session: 2002-03
Subjects: Decommissioning Nuclear fuel reprocessing Nuclear power stations THORP Sellafield
Link: View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk