---

Dept of Trade and Industry

Answer

Mr. Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry pursuant to the Answer of 11 February, Official Report, column 1478W, on nuclear waste, how much foreign spent nuclear fuel imported from abroad is stored at (a) Drigg, Cumbria and (b) elsewhere in the United Kingdom; what plans there are to send this spent fuel back to the countries of origin; and if she will make a statement. [189150] Nigel Griffiths :[holding answer 16 September 2004]: No overseas spent fuel received in the UK for reprocessing at Sellafield is stored at the Low Level Waste disposal facility near Drigg. To date, approximately 10,000 meters cubed of Low Level Waste arising from the reprocessing of overseas spent fuel has been emplaced at Drigg. The forecast volumes of conditioned High and Intermediate Level Waste at Sellafield to be returned to BNFL's overseas customers are approximately 305 metres cubed and 3,238 metres cubed respectively. The programme to return overseas high level reprocessing wastes is planned to begin in 2007-08. Separately, the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) has a very small amount of overseas Intermediate and Low Level Waste associated with its Research and Material test reactor, stored at Dounreay, Caithness for return to overseas customers.

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

425 c129W;425 c126W; 189150

Session

2003-04

Subjects

Exports Imports Nuclear fuels Radioactive waste Nuclear fuel reprocessing Storage Drigg

Contains statistics

Yes

Link

View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk