Some of the country's leading nuclear scientists and policy makers have been mapping out the future options for Cumbria in a top-level seminar held by Cumbria County Council.
Among the key findings in the day-long seminar held in Kendal on Thursday March 9th were the initial reports from a specialist team of consultants hired to report on the implications of building a new generation of nuclear reactors in light of the Government's UK Energy Policy Review.
Environmental Resources Management Ltd (ERM) and Integrated Decision Management Ltd were appointed by Cumbria County Council, West Lakes Renaissance and Allerdale and Copeland borough councils to produce a report on the implications for Cumbria of the Government's Energy Review.
The final report is due to be presented at the end of this month, but the team of consultants told councillors that their findings so far indicate that a new nuclear reactor in Sellafield:
- Could be one of the top 5 sites in the country in terms of viability for building a new nuclear reactor on an existing site.
- Constructing any new reactor would be equivalent to about a third of the size of the construction involved in building THORP.
- Could produce up to 2.4 gigawatts of power - that's equivalent to 1,200 typically sized windfarms operating at full capacity.
- Would create 2,000 construction jobs at the height of the building project and between 600 and 1,000 permanent jobs once the plant is running.
- Would take 5-6 years to build and could be operational by 2016 .
The fact-finding mission was launched ahead of a debate on how to respond to the Government's Energy Review at a full council meeting on March 23rd. The county council and its partners have a deadline of April this year to respond to the public consultation, which will consider the use of a range of energy sources such as coal, gas and nuclear as well as sustainable sources like wind, water, biomass and energy-from-waste.
Tim Heslop, Cumbria County Council spokesman on nuclear issues, said: "It's a busy year for nuclear issues and the first big decision as a county is whether we want new nuclear reactors in Cumbria. This seminar has been all about gathering the information from all sides, encouraging informed debate and making sure we're making the right decisions that will have a massive impact on Cumbria's future."
Other issues on the nuclear agenda this year include a July deadline for the draft recommendations by CoRWM (Committee on Radioactive Waste Management) on what should be done with waste material produced by existing nuclear plants. CoRWM's Mark Dutton told delegates that 2 million cubic metres of low level nuclear waste will have to be dealt with in decommissioning and outlined the possible disposal and storage options being considered.
The seminar also outlined the opportunities for Cumbria in the nuclear decommissioning age. Richard Mrowicki, Head of Stakeholder Relations at the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority told councillors that the estimated cost of decommissioning currently stands at £56 billion and 60% of the country's nuclear liabilities are in Cumbria. He said Cumbria has a unique opportunity to export its expertise and knowledge in decommissioning around the world. "Twenty million pounds is being invested over the next three years to develop a national nuclear skills academy in Cumbria," said Mr Mrowicki.
Tony Price, Director of Clean-up at the British Nuclear Group said: "Thirteen thousand people are employed in Sellafield and the clean-up programme is the largest in the world, with £1.2 billion annnual expenditure. We can be instrumental in shaping the industry for the future."
The future of the economy in West Cumbria was a key issue at the seminar. Rosie Mathisen, Nuclear Opportunities Manager at West Lakes Renaissance told councillors that £200 million is being spent in Cumbria through the nuclear supply chain that's sprung up around support companies surrounding the industry. She said: "There is an opportunity to build a new nuclear economy in Cumbria, but we're not putting all our eggs in one basket. Decommissioning, managing radioactive waste and new reactors are just one strand of the future for Cumbria."
Other speakers at the seminar represented organisations including DEFRA, UK Atomic Energy Authority, the Environment Agency, Nirex UK Ltd, Furness Enterprise Ltd, Enviros Consultancy, Friends of the Earth and Greenpeace