Written question asked by Crispin Blunt (Conservative) on Wednesday, 9 April 2003, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Tuesday, 6 May 2003. It was answered by Brian Wilson (Labour) on Tuesday, 6 May 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, what her estimate is of the relative costs of (a) reprocessing 50-year cooled PWR spent reactor fuel and (b) reprocessing five-year cooled fuel at Sellafield using THORP.

Answer: Mr. Blunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what her estimate is of the relative costs of (a) reprocessing 50-year cooled PWR spent reactor fuel and (b) reprocessing five-year cooled fuel at Sellafield using THORP. [109077] Mr. Wilson: The Government have made no such estimate. It is for the owners of spent fuel to make judgments about the relative merits of reprocessing spent fuel on an early timescale in currently available reprocessing facilities as compared to other spent fuel management options that might be available. It can be noted that, should an owner choose to store spent fuel for an extended period pending future decisions on its final management, the option to reprocess the fuel would be dependent upon the necessary reprocessing facilities then being available. The United Kingdom's only PWR power station is Sizewell B, owned by British Energy, which has been in operation since 1995.

Secondary information

Type: Written question
Reference: 109077; 404 c590W;404 c586-7W
Session: 2002-03
Subjects: Costs Nuclear fuels Radioactive waste Nuclear fuel reprocessing Sellafield Pressurised water reactors
Link: View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk