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Nuclear Legacy Advisory Forum

NuLeaf Presentation

NDA Strategy II

20th April 2010

NDA Programme Manager Richard Arnott

NDA Head of Strategy Clive Nixon

NDA Head of Communications Bill Hamilton

NDA Strategy I

Background

• NDA established in April 2005 (recent 5th birthday)

• NDA Strategy I published April 2006

• Energy Act 2004 requires revision at least every 5 years

• Strategy II publication date 31st March 2011

Scope of NDA Strategy

Site End States

Non NDA Liability

Management

Land Quality Management

Anna ClarkPeter Brazier (Chris Kaye)

Clean-up & Decomm’g

SITE RESTORATION

John Inkester

(S Rhodes)

UraniumPlutonium

Paul Gilchrist (C Rhodes)

Paul Gilchrist(N Hough)

NUCLEAR MATERIALS MANAGEMENT

Oxide FuelMagnox Fuel

Paul Gilchrist (C Rhodes)

Exotic Fuel

Danny Fox

SPENT FUEL MANAGEMENT

Higher Active Wastes

James McKinney

INTEGRATED WASTE MANAGEMENT

Danny FoxAnna Clark

Lower Activity Wastes

Matthew Clark

Matthew Clark

Non-Rad & Hazardous

Waste

Land & Property

Management

David Atkinson

BUSINESS OPTIMISATION

InternationalRelations

John Mathieson

Knowledge Management

Skills & Capability

Stuart HuntNigel

Couzens

CRITICAL ENABLERS

Socio Economics

Jonathan Jenkin

HSSEPublic &

Stakeholder Engagement

Alan Rae (D Urquhart)

Richard Griffin

R&D

Melanie Brownridge

Transport & Logistics

Steve Dutton(INS)

Funding

Martin Liefeith

Contracting & Incentives

Competition

C FranklandPhil Trevena

Supply Chain

Sam Dancy

Revenue Optimisation

Michael Glass

Asset Management

John Inkester (Martin Grey)

NDA Strategic Themes• Site Restoration

Strategy for the remediation activities required to deliver a site or facility that has ceased operations through to the Site End State

Return our designated sites to societal use

• Nuclear Materials Management

Strategy for the safe management and ultimate disposition of UK owned Plutonium arisen from reprocessing spent fuel

Uranics arisen from UK civil nuclear fuel cycle operations

• Spent Fuels Management

Strategy to ensure all spent fuels are managed in a safe and secure way for the lifecycle Magnox output from 26 Magnox reactors, electricity generation

Oxide AGR operated by BE, LWR operated by foreign utilities

Exotics Non-standard fuels, legacy from industry activities

NDA Strategic Themes• Integrated Waste Management

Strategy to optimise waste management solutions for Lower & Higher activity wastes, and Non-Radiological wastes

• Business Optimisation

Maximise value from our assets - including land and property – To maximise net benefit to the taxpayer

• Enabling Strategies (13)

Supporting NDA strategies required to enable delivery of the above :

Health, safety, security, safeguards and environment

Transport and Logistics, Asset Management

Research and Development, Supply chain development

Skills, Socio-economics, Competitions, etc

Strategy Management System (SMS)

Strategy II

Energy Act 2004: Revise & publish NDA Strategy at least every 5 years

…. therefore it’s a snap-shot in time

Strategy II Approach to Consultation / Publication

Key Programme DatesNational Stakeholder Group (NSG) 17 Mar 2010

Review by Strategic Authority Forum (SAF) 26 April 2010

Internal Peer Review (SII & SEA) 28 April 2010

K ey Stakeholder Review (SII & SEA) 20 May 2010

NDA Board - Update / share Draft SII 26 May 2010

SDDG Final Review - No objections 02 J une 2010

SII Content cut-off 18 J une 2010

Final SAF endorsement for Consultation 28 J une 2010

NDA Executive team endorsement 13 J uly 2010

NDA Board endorsement 28 J uly 2010

Approval by Government Officials 13 Aug 2010

Public Consultation Start 01 Sept 2010

National Stakeholder Group (NSG) 21 Sept 2010

Public Consultation End (12 weeks) 24 Nov 2010

NDA Board endorse for publication 27 J an 2011

Ministerial endorsement 04 Mar 2011

Publication of Strategy II 31 Mar 2011

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• Consultation starts 1 September 2010

• Mid Consultation NSG 21/22 September 2010

• Consultation Ends 24 November 2010

• Strategy published 31 March 2011

Key NuLeaf dates

Planned Stakeholder Engagement

• All key stakeholders 12week consultation periodTwo NSG meetings

• Nuclear Regulators SDDG monthly meetings

• Local Authorities NuLeaf meeting 20th April, LondonSCCORS late May &/or Early Oct

• Site Stakeholder Groups UK Roadshow during Sept / Oct

• Trade Unions Strategic Forum 3rd June 2010

• SLCs / PBOs Partnering events

• Input to the “UK Decommissioning & Waste Management” conferenceRheged, Penrith, 2nd & 3rd November 2010

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Clive Nixon

NDA Head of Strategy

Recap - Scope of NDA Strategy

Site End States

Non NDA Liability

Management

Land Quality Management

Anna ClarkPeter Brazier (Chris Kaye)

Clean-up & Decomm’g

SITE RESTORATION

John Inkester

(S Rhodes)

UraniumPlutonium

Paul Gilchrist (C Rhodes)

Paul Gilchrist(N Hough)

NUCLEAR MATERIALS MANAGEMENT

Oxide FuelMagnox Fuel

Paul Gilchrist (C Rhodes)

Exotic Fuel

Danny Fox

SPENT FUEL MANAGEMENT

Higher Active Wastes

James McKinney

INTEGRATED WASTE MANAGEMENT

Danny FoxAnna Clark

Lower Activity Wastes

Matthew Clark

Matthew Clark

Non-Rad & Hazardous

Waste

Land & Property

Management

David Atkinson

BUSINESS OPTIMISATION

InternationalRelations

John Mathieson

Knowledge Management

Skills & Capability

Stuart HuntNigel

Couzens

CRITICAL ENABLERS

Socio Economics

Jonathan Jenkin

HSSEPublic &

Stakeholder Engagement

Alan Rae (D Urquhart)

Richard Griffin

R&D

Melanie Brownridge

Transport & Logistics

Steve Dutton(INS)

Funding

Martin Liefeith

Contracting & Incentives

Competition

C FranklandPhil Trevena

Supply Chain

Sam Dancy

Revenue Optimisation

Michael Glass

Asset Management

John Inkester (Martin Grey)

NDASTRATEGY

Critical Enablers

Critical Enablers

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NDA Strategy Integrity

Business

Optmisation

Integrated Waste

Management

Nuclear Materials

Spent Fuel

Site Restoration

time

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Review of progress since Strategy I

• Successes

– Competition Programme

– Strategy development

– New future for Springfields

– Extended generation

– Industry restructuring

– Lifetime plans

• Challenges

– Progress on risk reduction in Legacy ponds and silos– Accelerated Magnox decommissioning– Reprocessing dates moving to the right

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Strategic Issues

• Affordability

• Interaction with New Build

– Materials management and national nuclear infrastructure

– Skills and workforce alignment

– End states

• Changing policy positions

– Scottish Higher Activity Waste

– Pu Disposition

• Managing Radioactive Waste Safely process

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Strategic Issues

• Aging plant and asset management

• Best use of estate wide assets

– Co-location

• Approach to next societal use

– “End States” and “Interim States”

• Information and knowledge management

• Through life management of 3rd party liabilities

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Site Restoration

Site Restoration - Objective

To return our designated sites to societal use

NDA’s main function is to carry out decommissioning and clean-up

Site Restoration is the driving strategy the other strategies provide support

Site Restoration Scope

• Site Restoration covers three key activities required to deliver a site or facility through to a planned Site End State

– Decommissioning and Clean-UpCleaning out, dismantling and demolishing redundant facilities (from cessation of operations to demolition)

– Land Quality ManagementManaging contaminated ground and groundwater

– Site End StatesProviding credible objectives for the restoration of each site; defining the physical condition of a site when NDA has completed its mission

Site Restoration

• 2006 Strategy attempted to identify the main elements in the lifecycle scope

• Strategy II tries to focus more on the near term and saturates those projects where the risks are high

• Resources are constrained

Site Restoration - Challenge

Restoration of the UK’s nuclear legacy presents a major and time critical challenge; in 2009/10 the discounted future cost estimate amounts to £40.8 billion

– Legacy plants dating from late 1940’s and 1950’s– Large quantities of old corroding radioactive waste– Degrading infrastructure– Contaminated ground and / or groundwater at every NDA site

as a result of various land uses (not all nuclear)– Volume of ground estimated to be radioactively contaminated

exceeds (~x4) current UK low level waste disposal capacity.

Site Restoration – Key Messages

• Undertake Site Restoration as soon as reasonably practicable, taking account of all relevant factors

• Focus resource on reducing high risks to people and the environment

• Utilise Interim States for timely achievement of objectives

• Employ fit-for-purpose restoration objectives

• Ensure Site Restoration encourages the highest standards in health, safety, security and environmental performance, offers value for money and employs good practice

Question

• The NDA believes that our focus should be on Interim States and our decision on site end states should be made closer to the time when the next planned use is apparent

– What are your views on the NDA’s position?

– What attributes should any Interim State have, and which are particularly important to you and why?

– Does a focus on interim states raise any concerns?

– To what extent should local authorities be engaged in identifying interim states at sites?

Integrated Waste Management

Strategic objectives in waste management

• Our goals:– implement Government policies for radioactive waste and

decommissioning and comply with the requirements of the Energy Act 2004

– deliver effective waste management solutions to support the cleanup mission

• We have taken on wider responsibilities since Strategy 1:– UK-wide responsibility for Low Level Waste strategy and

implementation;– responsibility for implementing the UK Geological Disposal Facility;

and– responsibilities under Scottish policy to produce a higher activity

waste management strategy for Scotland

Risk reduction – legacy facilities

• We will continue to prioritise risk reduction by waste retrieval

• Earliest waste retrieval is paramount – the need for subsequent waste treatment and packaging in some instances is accepted

• The door is open for innovative waste treatment and packaging technology

Strategic points

• Diversified waste disposal

• Other Intermediate Level Waste opportunities

• Solid Low Level Waste Strategy

• Scottish policy for Higher Activity Waste

Diversified waste disposal

Pursuing flexibility, value for money and fit-for-purpose disposal solutions: moving away from the old UK waste disposal paradigm

• Optimising the use of LLWR– Landfill-type disposal of VLLW, on-, near- and off-site– Incineration for volume reduction– Waste hierarchy opportunities

• Optimising the use of the Geological Disposal Facility– Near surface disposal opportunities for Reactor Decommissioning

Waste (ILW)• Implications

– More locations– Earlier– Transport

Other Intermediate Level Waste opportunities

Challenging the old ideas

• Develop the opportunities to treat and store ILW in fewer locations

• New waste package concepts

• Thermal waste treatment: volume reduction, value for money, early immobilisation and fit-for-purpose wasteforms

• Waste transport infrastructure is the catalyst

Solid Low Level Waste strategy

We consulted upon UK Nuclear industry strategy for solid LLW in 2009. What did we learn?

• Respondents endorsed key themes of the strategy – eg waste hierarchy

• Early dialogue with stakeholders and local communities is essential to successful implementation

• Good waste management solutions consider local issues as well as national

Question

• What does the Integrated Waste Management Strategy mean for you in your area?

• What are the opportunities and/or the main hurdles to implementation and how they might be overcome (eg on ‘other ILW opportunities’)?

Spent Fuel Management

Magnox Context

Current Inventory: •Magnox fuel : 4500 te to be reprocessed, of which

– Wetted fuel ~500 te (Mostly at Sellafield)– Dry Fuel ~ 4000 te (at Reactor Sites, e.g. in cores)

It is important to control the amount of Magnox fuel stored in Ponds:

– Magnox Fuel can start to corrode after approximately 5 years in fuel ponds

Example of potential additions to inventory:– Dounreay Fast Reactor Breeder: < 45 te (i.e. 1% extra)– Wylfa and Oldbury extension : < 20 te (i.e. 0.5% extra)

Magnox – Main Issues

• Magnox Reprocessing uses oldest facilities– Increasingly expensive to maintain

• Risk of Early Plant Failure – Reprocessing process operates in series

• Single plant failure can slow / stop the whole process– Contingency work progressing but still immature– NDA has now set Failure Criteria / Strategic Tolerances for the

MOP associated with plant longevity, e.g. • Dissolver Life• Avoidance of new plant requiring major investment

Current Magnox Strategy

Deliver Magnox Operating Plan (MOP)– Extend power generation as far as possible – Predicted finish 2016

Maximise opportunities to incorporate other materials in reprocessing stream

– For some spent metal type fuels this is the only technically underpinned management option

Develop Contingency Options in event of plant failure– Fuel Drying and long term Dry Storage– Alternative options

Magnox Drying and Dry Storage

• Significant Investment in Fuel Drying and Dry Fuel Storage Project– Commenced during last half of 2007– Investment increased 2009/10– Further increase in investment planned for 2010/11

• Loosely based on metal fuel drying project completed at Hanford, USA.– Dried and dry stored 2100 te of pond stored metal fuel.

• Now incorporating the options to dry and dry store other fuel types, such as oxide and exotics

• Current reference oxide strategy– Reprocess contracted “Overseas” LWR fuel– Receive and manage AGR fuel

• ~3000te Historic Fuel will be reprocessed• ~3100 te Future Fuel will be stored and may be reprocessed• Need to keep extra space available if BE extend AGR station

lifetimes– Very small amount of corroded fuel – priority reprocessing

• Aim to achieve fuel management to maximise the cost benefit– E.g. by develop optimised lifecycle for AGR fuel

Oxide Reference Strategy

Oxide Fuel Credible Options

1. Reprocess minimum contracted fuel and stop– no new plant

2. Reprocess until the end-of-life of the existing plant

3. Reprocess all UK & Overseas fuel– Refurbish & replace plant as required– Eventually throughput circa 250 te p.a. from UK AGRs

4. Reprocess all UK & Overseas fuel – Consider extra business to offset costs and optimise use of the

assets– Refurbish & replace plant as required

5. Stop Repro – store, immobilise and dispose

NOTE: Current reference strategy placed between 1 & 2

PFR fuel

ExoticsInventory

DFR

DFR

Zebra

MOD fuels

HEU & ResearchThorp ‘Non-Standard’

WAGR Fuels

MOX Fuels& PIE Cans

‘Legacy Metals’

Carbide fuels

Exotics Strategy / Issues

• Total Inventory liability (circa 500te)• Outside standard arrangements:

– transport, storage, reprocessing and disposal • Unique challenges

– Bespoke solutions required for some exotic fuels• TREAT – Could be reprocess or immobilise

FUEL

UK Exotics Disposition: To ensure the continued safe management, optimised lifecycle approach and then ultimate disposition of Exotic fuels

SAFE STORE TREAT DISPOSESTORE

PRODUCTS

Exotic Fuels Risks & Opportunities

• Multi-Track Plans for Fuels Needs to be Optimised for all fuel types:– Reprocess some fuels (e.g. Thorp Non-Standard)– Immobilise, Store and Dispose (e.g. PFR Fuels)

• Significant part of the inventory has technically immature solutions at present

• NDA wants to consider reprocessing exotic fuels using the existing NDA estate wide infrastructure – Where technology and logistics (timings) allow

Question

Magnox • Given we have a mature strategy that is clear and embedded in

policy, but delivery is at risk due to ageing assets, what are your views on NDA’s proposed approach?

Oxide• Are the identified options the right ones to be assessing?

• What will be the most important factors when assessing the strategic options?