Menu
Fri, 4 October 2024

Newsletter sign-up

Subscribe now
The House Live All
Energy
Partnership could be the making of Great British Energy (Efficiency) Partner content
Environment
How we’re making progress towards building a geological disposal facility for nuclear waste in the UK Partner content
By Nuclear Waste Services
Energy
The power of leveraging strategic partnerships to deliver value Partner content
By Nuclear Decommissioning Authority
Energy
Nuclear investment will unlock the prize of growth Partner content
Energy
Press releases

Sellafield waste team has 50,000 reasons to celebrate

Some of the RER team in front of the encapsulation plants and product storage facilities on the Sellafield site.

Sellafield Ltd

2 min read Partner content

A team at the heart of Sellafield’s clean-up mission has hit a momentous milestone.

The Sellafield site’s Retrievals East River (RER) has just received, treated, and sent for storage its 50,000th intermediate level waste package.

Retrievals East River plays a crucial role in the decommissioning of Sellafield and helps keeps the lights on across the UK.

It takes intermediate level waste from Sellafield’s legacy plants and deals with remnants of spent fuel from the UK’s Advanced Gas-cooled Reactors (AGRs.)

The AGR programme provided RER’s 50,000th package: a graphite filled waste drum.

Lee Metcalf, head of RER operations, said:

"I’m proud to be part of a team that, for more than 3 decades, has safely received and processed intermediate level waste into a disposal form. Reaching this milestone is down to the dedication and hard work of everyone involved.

"In processing these 50,000 packages, we’ve used an impressive 12,000 m³ or 24,000 tons of grout. That’s enough to fill 5 Olympic swimming pools or pack 120 double-decker buses!"

Alyson Armett, head of retrievals value stream, said:

"Even though reprocessing operations have ended, RER continues to play a vital role in UK energy generation by accepting waste from fuel dismantling, helping to keep the lights on across the country.

"We’re also contributing to the ongoing site-wide clean-up of our most hazardous facilities, like the Magnox Swarf Storage Silo.

"Originally, the silo waste was meant for the Box Encapsulation Plant, but with this plant not operational until 2027, RER has adapted its facilities to accept this waste in the meantime.

"As we address legacy waste and prepare for increased waste removal from our legacy ponds and silos, RER remains at the forefront of intermediate level waste management.

"Through ongoing innovation, adaptation and repurposing its facilities, RER is committed to supporting a cleaner, safer environment for future generations.

"A huge congratulations to the teams and everyone involved achieving this major milestone."

RER processes waste from a variety of sources using innovative technology to ensure it is safely stored until its final disposal in a Geological Disposal Facility.

Categories

Energy
Associated Organisation
Podcast
Engineering a Better World

The Engineering a Better World podcast series from The House magazine and the IET is back for series two! New host Jonn Elledge discusses with parliamentarians and industry experts how technology and engineering can provide policy solutions to our changing world.

NEW SERIES - Listen now