All the fuel element debris (FED) waste at the UK's Bradwell nuclear power plant has now been treated to reduce the radiological risk at the site, Magnox Ltd. announced yesterday. Removal of the intermediate-level radioactive waste is an important step toward the facility's planned closure.
A shipment of LLW FED leaves Bradwell for treatment at Tradebe-Inutec. (Source: Magnox Ltd)Some 65 tons of FED was treated in an on-site "dissolution plant" which dissolved the waste in an acid, separated the radioactive materials, and reduced the volume of the solid waste by more than 90 percent.
Over half of the FED was reclassified as suitable for disposal as low-level waste (LLW) in a collaboration between Magnox Ltd, the Low Level Waste Repository Ltd (LLWR) and specialist subcontractor Tradebe-Inutec. More than 140 tons of FED have now been sent to Tradebe-Inutec as LLW for treatment and eventual disposal at LLWR.
The demolition of the used fuel ponds complex at Bradwell has also been completed. The redundant buildings were decontaminated over a four-year period, which meant they could be taken down using conventional demolition methods. The remaining buildings at the site will now be enclosed in weatherproof cladding in preparation for care and maintenance. This will allow radiation levels to decay naturally over time, resulting in simpler and more cost-effective decommissioning at final site clearance.
Bradwell's two 125 MWe Magnox reactors operated from 1962 to 2002, generating nearly 60 TWh of electricity during the plant's 40-year lifetime. The site is following an accelerated decommissioning program and is now more than halfway through work that should see it become the first reactor site in the UK to enter care and maintenance.
