The UK government has said will invest £154 million to help the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) develop technology to dispose of plutonium.
The investment, which will span five years, will allow the NDA to work with its supply chain partners to design, install and operate specialist laboratory facilities at nuclear site Sellafield in Cumbria.
Here, experts will test and prove the technology which will be used to immobilise plutonium, which is a product of nuclear fuel reprocessing, and lock it away in a stable form.
The government said the technology will help mitigate long-term security risks associated with the material.
The investment is set to support around 100 jobs, the majority of which will be in Cumbria.
Currently, the UK’s civil separated plutonium inventory is securely stored at Sellafield, in line with regulatory requirements.
The project will explore two technologies for immobilisation: Disposal MOX (DMOX) which creates ceramic pellets designed for disposal, and Hot Isostatic Pressing (HIP), where high pressures and temperatures are used to create a ‘rock like’ ceramic material.
Once immobilised, the material is intended for final disposal in a Geological Disposal Facility (GDF).
NDA group subsidiary, Nuclear Waste Services, is leading work to ensure the final waste form is suitable for a GDF.
A further £2.5 million is being invested in establishing a £5 million Plutonium Ceramics Academic Hub in partnership with the Universities of Manchester and Sheffield, which the government said would help to develop the technical expertise and subject matter experts needed for the unique work.
“Cumbria has a proud nuclear history, and this new investment will unlock pioneering technology to manage our nuclear waste,” said minister for energy Michael Shanks. “Alongside the 100 jobs from this research, thousands more will be supported over the course of the plutonium immobilisation programme and see billions invested in the region, boosting the local economy.”
