Sellafield set to reduce radioactive discharges

Sellafield, the British Nuclear Fuels-run power station in Cumbria, is set to cut discharges of a certain type of radioactive material by 90% – waste matter which had been pumped into the Irish Sea.

British Nuclear Fuels Ltd (BNFL), the Environment Agency (EA) and the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) announced today that a trial to reduce discharges of radioactive technetium-99 (Tc-99) – which has a half-life of 213,000 years – had been successful, and would now be "used routinely".

Discharges of Tc-99 were found to be greatly reduced after a plant-scale trial of the cleansing agent, Tetraphenylphosphonium Bromide (TPP), a chemical which turns the material into solid form.

The abatement techniques introduced at Sellafield during the past year, including the use of TPP, mean that Tc-99, which would otherwise have been discharged to sea, will be converted into a solid form suitable for storage on land and eventual long-term disposal.

The trial, which was carried out by BNFL at the end of last year, found that the level of Tc-99 discharges will be reduced by over 95%, leading to discharges from the whole site being reduced by 90%.

Elliot Morley, Minister for the Environment, said: "Although there is no evidence that the discharge of Tc-99 into the sea at its current discharge limit is harmful to man or the environment, it has prompted some concern, particularly in Scandinavia, because Tc-99 can be detected at very low levels in coastal waters and in certain shellfish and seaweed.

"I am therefore very pleased that the collective efforts of BNFL, the Environment Agency, the Nuclear Installations Inspectorate and Nirex have lead to the successful reduction of discharges some two years ahead of schedule."

Norwegian Prime Minister Kjell Magne Bondevik said that the move was an "important victory for Norway".

He added: "It demonstrates the value of dialogue and shows that the strategy of the Norwegian coalition government, which has always treated the battle against the Sellafield discharges as a top priority, has been successful. More important still is of course the fact that the end to the radioactive discharges will mean clean seafood supplies for all of us in the years ahead.”

Norway's Environment Minister Børge Brende said that the higher levels of technetium measured along the coast of Norway since 1997 were expected to decrease.

Mr Brende also praised the UK government and his opposite number Margaret Beckett for working to bring the discharges to an end.

The trial was the latest step in a process initiated by the UK government in 1998, involving BNFL, the Environment Agency, the Nuclear Installations Inspectorate and Nirex, to address concerns about Tc-99 discharge levels.

(gmcg)