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12 December 05
Dounreay Seeks Way Forward On The Particles
The largest consultation exercise ever undertaken by
Dounreay’s operator was announced today to identify the Best
Practicable Environmental Option for radioactive particles found in the
seabed and beaches near the former experimental reactor establishment.
A newsletter is being issued today to more than a thousand
registered stakeholders, outlining the results of a £10 million
research programme and inviting members of the public to participate in
a preliminary phase of engagement.
This
will be augmented by a series of outreach meetings and public
exhibitions next month to gather more feedback about the options that
should be assessed and the criteria to be used.
Two
independent expert reports are due to be published in 2006 and the
findings, together with feedback from the preliminary phase and ongoing
technical studies, should enable UKAEA to carry out a detailed
assessment and consult widely on the options later in the year. This is
expected to lead to recommendations in 2007 on the way forward.
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Norman
Harrison
Director Of Dounreay
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Norman
Harrison, director of Dounreay, said: “The purpose of the consultation
is to find out, in an open and inclusive manner, if there is a better
way to manage the legacy of particles than the current approach, which
is to monitor beaches to criteria laid down by SEPA and remove those
particles that can be detected when they come ashore. “However much I
and everyone at Dounreay today regrets the practices of old that gave
rise to this legacy, we cannot turn back the clock. It therefore
becomes very important to everyone that we do what is right today, so
that those who are affected by this legacy can have confidence that the
preferred way forward is the right one for safety, society and the
environment.”
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UKAEA
has commissioned consultants Entec UK to
facilitate the preliminary phase of public engagement and the
transparency of the process is being overseen by a stakeholder
consultation steering group chaired by Councillor Bill Fernie, who
represents Wick West on Highland Council. He said: “A considerable
amount of work has gone into looking at how we might present
information to the public that is clear and open. The Steering Group is
looking forward to assisting everyone involved in making the choices
that will decide the future of how we deal with the particles in the
environment. From early in 2006 we will be working to ensure that
anyone who wishes to can contribute their view and I encourage anyone
with an interest to participate.”
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Bill
Fernie Highland Councillor For Wick West & Chairman Of The BPEO
Stakeholder Consultation Steering Group On Particles
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Particles
are fragments of irradiated nuclear fuel similar in size to grains of
sand. They were created during the break-up of spent nuclear fuel for
reprocessing and fires during its dissolution, and their release into
the sea can be traced to historic waste management practices dating
back to the late 1950s.
The
total number of particles discharged into the sea during Dounreay’s
fuel reprocessing era is uncertain. In recent years, specialist divers
and a robotic monitoring device have surveyed 340,000 m2 of the seabed
around a disused discharge outlet. To date, 926 particles have been
recovered by divers from the seabed, and almost 300 particles have been
recovered from nearby beaches.
Dounreay
was Britain’s centre of fast reactor research and development from 1955
until 1994. It is now being decommissioned by UKAEA on behalf of the
Nuclear Decommissioning Authority. Particles
Consultation Steering Group:
An independent steering group was established in 2003 to oversee the
transparency of the consultation process. The Steering Group consists
of:
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Bill Fernie |
Highland Council, Wick West (Chairman) |
| John
Thurso |
MP for Caithness,
Sutherland and Easter Ross |
| Rick
Nickerson |
KIMO secretariat |
| Iain Baikie |
Environment
expert, KP Technology |
| Fred
Barker |
Consultant
specialising in nuclear policy analysis and stakeholder engagement |
| Ian Clark |
Dounreay Trade Unions |
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