UK government publishes Nuclear Waste Services (NWS) strategy which aims to ensure NWS is a “one-stop shop” for nuclear waste management and disposal.
The government says the NWS strategy, published today (25 April), is focused on key strategic objectives to ensure that the “right waste form, in the right package, is managed or disposed of at the right facility”.
According to the government, the NWS will support “accelerated decommissioning” through innovation, with legacy and future waste streams managed in the most “sustainable and efficient” way through technology development, expertise and setting worldwide standards to provide value for the UK.
The government says this means that capping will start on the Low-Level Waste Repository in 2024-25, thermal treatment technologies will be developed as a proven technology by 2026-27 and decisions on the communities to progress as part of the Geological Disposal Facility programme will be made by 2026.
Our purpose is clear: to make nuclear waste permanently safe, sooner.
NWS brings together the UK’s nuclear waste management capabilities, the government says and is part of the NDA (Nuclear Decommissioning Authority) group, which has a collective long-term goal to clean up nuclear sites safely, securely and cost-effectively.
In a joint statement, NWS Chair Adrienne Kelbie and NWS CEO Corhyn Parr, said: “Our purpose is clear: to make nuclear waste permanently safe, sooner. And we want to become the ‘one-stop shop’ for nuclear waste management and disposal solutions in the UK.
“This strategy sets our direction, objectives, key milestones and the transformation needed to succeed by 2030. Our strategic objectives are focused on ensuring all our operations are safe and secure and the right waste is in the right place, accelerating decommissioning and adding value for the UK.
“We’ll prioritise working with and doing the right thing for our people, partners, customers, and communities where we operate. Our strategy objectives are built to be enduring and responsive to influences from the global and nuclear landscape as it evolves and changes.”
