sellafield ltd
sellafield ltd’s dedication to growing its own talent has been recognised with a regional award .
tony fountain, chairman of sellafield ltd, and sir andrew mathews, chairman of the national nuclear laboratory ltd (nnl), have signed a collaboration agreement .
sellafield ltd is launching its first ever trade mission to connect its major contractors with cumbria’s small businesses .
contact the supply chain team with any questions and comments about doing business with sellafield ltd, including procurement .
in april 2008, uk nuclear waste management ltd (uknwm) won the parent body organisation (pbo) competition and took over ownership of llwr ltd .
from april 1, the nda is to take ownership of sellafield ltd, as part of reforms to management of the site .
sellafield ltd is the company responsible for safely delivering decommissioning, reprocessing and nuclear waste management activities on behalf of the nuclear decommissioning authority .
sellafield ltd also has the largest concentration of world - leading nuclear experts in europe – and boasts over 60 years of skills and experience .
most sellafield ltd offices are open 9am to 5pm, monday to friday (except bank holidays). all visits must be arranged in advance .
as one of the most complex nuclear companies in the world, sellafield ltd offers the most technically and commercially challenging projects within the nuclear industry .
along with commercial and nuclear clean up operations, sellafield ltd is also undertaking a range of major projects that are key enablers to the management of ongoing site activities .
in llwr ltd’s second term, the use of new waste treatment routes has been embedded across the uk .
we’re celebrating a major step forward in cleaning up one of the most hazardous ponds at sellafield. game changing progress in sellafield pond
this year, sellafield ltd has welcomed 211 apprentices – the highest intake in the site’s history – and has pledged to make five per cent of its workforce trainees within the next five years .
this collaboration agreement builds on these – and many other - successes and outlines the overarching principles that will be applied when sellafield ltd and nnl work together. these principles will allow sellafield ltd and nnl to focus both on developing new technologies and on sourcing them from the supply chain, other national laboratories and academia, so that cost - effective and innovative research and development can be used to accelerate the hazard and risk reduction work on the sellafield site .
transformation is the word at sellafield ltd. everything we do here is designed to transform the environment, the economy and the global nuclear industry. make your own breakthrough here. graduate applications opening soon .
with a nuclear renaissance underway sellafield ltd is still at the forefront of the uk’s nuclear industry and through the safe and expert delivery of its mission, will play a significant role in britain’s energy future .
the uk' s sellafield ltd plans to make efficiency savings to be able to work within its £2 billion ($ 2. 85 billion) budget for the next financial year as the site
enters the most crucial period in its modern history
. the nuclear decommissioning authority (nda) secured the sum for sellafield ltd as part of the government' s spending review, announced in november last year .
regarding its £2 billion budget for the new financial year, an industry source told world nuclear news today that sellafield ltd
would be looking at a nine - figure shortfall unless it achieves planned efficiencies
.
in promoting equal opportunities, sellafield ltd welcomes applications from all areas of the community. we select people according to their abilities and our needs. for further information please refer to the work with us section of this site .
sellafield ltd and nnl have a long history of working together to deliver research and development to underpin new plant processes and to make improvements to current operations at sellafield. some recent successes include work by nnl and others in support of sellafield’s box encapsulation plant (where industrial robots are being adapted for use in a specialist nuclear environment for the management of challenging nuclear waste) and the work carried out jointly by sellafield ltd, nnl, nda and academia which identified a simpler way to deal with intermediate level waste, (which in turn is set to reduce the site’s clean - up bill by hundreds of millions of pounds) .
sellafield ltd said on 20 january that, as the government looks to create three million more apprenticeships in the uk by 2020, it had been invited as a' top uk business' to debate how to improve apprenticeships in the country .
john clarke, chief executive of the nda, said :
this level of funding for sellafield reflects tremendous support from government and this will enable us to make vital progress on cleaning up the high hazard facilities at sellafield, particularly the legacy ponds and silos. but we have made an unequivocal commitment to government that in return we will expect sellafield ltd to place the greatest possible emphasis on value for money .
paul foster, sellafield ltd managing director, said that although the £2 billion represents increased funding for the site, the scope of work the company needs to deliver
will outstrip our budget unless we drive greater efficiency into everything we do
.
one of the most daring demolition projects ever undertaken at sellafield has reached a key point .
steve bewsher, apprentice training manager at sellafield ltd, attended the ceremony. he said: “i am very proud of our success at the regional stage, and look forward to enhancing our entry with the latest achievements as we apply for the national awards .
sue husband, director of the national apprenticeship service, said: “i would like to congratulate sellafield ltd on their achievement. they deserve to be rewarded for their efforts. there has never been a better time to become an apprentice or employ one. ”
the budget announcement was made in the nda' s draft business plan, which was published on 5 january. it marks an increase in sellafield' s £1. 9 billion budget for the current financial year and
underlines the nda' s commitment to securing progress in the site' s clean - up program
, sellafield ltd said yesterday .
in the event of an emergency at sellafield, please contact our information line for further details .
licensed under the nuclear installations act 1965 and holder of the licence for the sellafield nuclear site, we are the legal entity responsible for sellafield, which is owned by the nuclear decommissioning authority .
the sellafield site is not open to the public. all visits must be arranged in advance .
sellafield ltd is a global centre for nuclear engineering management. we pioneered the harnessing of nuclear power to generate electricity for the country. now the world is watching as we set international standards in high - hazard reduction. in short, we’re at the forefront of the industry .
all of sellafield ltd’s departments have a savings plan which specifies where efficiencies will be made in their area. according to company information, a key focus is commercial efficiencies - ensuring value for money in contract awards. roughly 60% of its annual spend goes to external organisations .
we are responsible for the safe and secure operation and clean - up of the sellafield nuclear site .
major projects pose special challenges, these challenges are magnified by their location on a nuclear licensed site. sellafield ltd is meeting these challenges by successfully managing the scale, funding requirements, human resource requirements, technology and timescale of many projects to safely deliver value for money to the business .
the sellafield site is at the heart of west cumbria, on the edge of the famous lake district .
happy # lgbtstemday we are proud to support the lgbt + community, here at sellafield and everywhere. urltoken
today, the sellafield site covers about 2 square miles. the windscale site was split into two parts in 1971, with the main complex renamed sellafield, and the original weapons, power station and advanced gas - cooled reactor retaining the windscale name. much of britain' s nuclear waste today is currently stored at sellafield .
at sellafield ltd, we require all recruits to have a minimum of three gcses at grade c or above in mathematics, english and science (or equivalent). new gcse grading structure: grade 4 and above. many roles will need further qualifications – these requirements will be stated on the recruitment advertisement .
our purpose is to keep sellafield safe and secure, cleaning - up the site to a defined end state .
in 2007, to support the competition process, a site licence company (slc), known as llw repository ltd (llwr), was established to hold the nuclear site licence for the repository .
the collaboration agreement sets out the principles by which our two government - owned organisations will work together, in partnership, to deliver more value to the uk by developing technical solutions to support delivery of sellafield ltd’s mission. it is recognised that it is in the public interest for both organisations to collaborate to deliver the department of business, energy and industrial strategy’s objective to accelerate hazard reduction and clean - up activities on the sellafield site .
three members of the business, energy and industrial strategy (beis) select committee visited the sellafield site last week .
contact stakeholder relations if you have any questions about our activities at sellafield or the impact of them on the community .
the site at sellafield covers an area of six square miles and is home to more than 1, 000 facilities .
sellafield ltd named macro employer of the year. from left to right, steve bewsher (head of apprentice programmes), deanna pearson (health physics monitor apprentice), cat settle (head of employer and delivery services at the national apprenticeship service), declan gilmartin (mechanical apprentice) and graham ball (gen2) .
a major breakthrough has been achieved in the sellafield clean - up programme – and a cumbrian company has played a key part .
keeping sellafield safe and secure is our priority and governs the decisions that we make every day. one of the ways that we can make sellafield safer is by removing the nuclear risks and hazards posed by our oldest building; the legacy ponds and silos .
if you have any queries regarding current emergencies or incidents, please contact your local line manager not the sellafield site shift manager .
the company has sites at sellafield in west cumbria, as well as an extensive engineering design capability based at risley in warrington .
sellafield is the only nuclear site in the country that can safely manage all three forms of radioactive waste; low, intermediate and high .
each chapter of sellafield’s history delivered great benefit for the country while creating a complex nuclear clean - up challenge for which there are no blueprints .
today, sellafield covers 6 square kilometres and is home to more than 200 nuclear facilities and the largest inventory of untreated nuclear waste in the world .
sellafield is one of the most complex and compact nuclear sites, activities are centred around remediation, decommissioning and clean up of the historic legacy. the site is also home to the thorp and magnox reprocessing plants, the sellafield mox plant and a wide range of waste management and effluent treatment facilities .
to be successful the futures of sellafield ltd and nnl are inextricably linked. the history, knowledge and experience shared by the respective technical teams, as well as the physical integration of facilities on the sellafield site reinforce these links. it is therefore important to recognise this in the formal relationship between the organisations and this is why i' m very pleased to have the collaboration agreement in place. there are challenging times ahead to work out how to meet the needs of all our stakeholders and this won' t be possible unless we work together collaboratively .
used fuel from all over the world, including the uk, arrives at sellafield inside purpose - designed shielded flasks which can weigh up to 110 tonnes .
there are two nuclear fuel reprocessing plants at sellafield. one deals with magnox fuel from britain' s early nuclear reactors, like the ones which were used at calder hall power station at sellafield, which is now closed down. the other fuel reprocessing plant at sellafield is the thermal oxide reprocessing plant or thorp, as it is known. thorp deals with fuel from british advanced gas cooled reactors (agr) and light water reactor fuel from around the world .
ownership of the low level waste repository passed to newly created british nuclear fuels limited in 1971 and the site was managed as part of sellafield until 2007 .
bewsher said :
we are immensely proud, along with our training partners gen2 and wigan & leigh college, to welcome a further 165 apprentices this year - taking the total of young people in training with sellafield ltd to a landmark 550 apprentices - and to take the lead on developing new top - quality training such as the trailblazer and degree apprenticeships, and to grow the local skills base to make cumbria a centre of nuclear excellence .
the nuclear decommissioning authority currently invests £2 billion of its annual budget at sellafield. we will ensure that we demonstrate value for money through the delivery of our mission .
the transformation of disposal procedures was completed in 1995 when the waste monitoring and compaction facility at sellafield and the grouting facility at the low level waste repository were opened .
in the 1970s, plans were developed to commercialise reprocessing at sellafield and in the 1980s, construction started on a new reprocessing facility, the thermal oxide reprocessing plant (thorp) .
beis select committee members @ rachelreevesmp @ peterkyle @ markpawsey visited sellafield, accompanied by @ nda, and found out about the progress we are making in our clean - up mission. urltoken
transforming the sellafield site into a safe, environmentally sound space is a 100 - year challenge. join us and you’ll be involved in work of breathtaking complexity, affecting the lives of millions .
“sellafield ltd has always accounted for the largest portion of our work, and around half of our workforce – and our biggest nuclear laboratories – are based on the sellafield site. within nnl we have a good deal of science, technology and innovation which can help to reduce the cost and timescales of the clean - up mission whilst improving safety. it therefore makes perfect sense for us to seek a more collaborative working arrangement between the two government - owned bodies in the national interest. i’m delighted that this agreement builds on the excellent links which already exist between us and i am confident that we will see even more success ahead for both organisations – and for the uk’s nuclear sector as a whole – over the coming years. ”
sellafield has been nearly 80 years in the making. a pioneer for the uk’s nuclear industry, it supported national defence, generated electricity for nearly half a century, and developed the ability to safely manage nuclear waste .
the sellafield site has been operational since the 1940s, when it was used as a royal ordinance factory supporting the war effort and the national defence programme. the factory was constructed to inspect and package small arms ammunition .
we have a responsibility to deliver new projects at sellafield that will support our mission. we must do this safely, securely, to the agreed specification, on schedule, within budget and with due regard to the environment .
in the 1950s, the world’s first commercial nuclear power station, calder hall, and the windscale advanced gas - cooled reactor were developed at sellafield. both were forerunners of a fleet of nuclear power stations across the country .
the safe and secure stewardship of the sellafield site is our priority. it covers everything from the safety of our employees and care for the environment through to the management of nuclear materials. it underpins every decision we make .
sellafield is home to the oldest nuclear facilities in the uk and we are focusing our efforts on safely accelerating the clean - up of our oldest facilities. we will also demonstrate our progress through the timely completion of both the magnox and the thorp reprocessing programmes .
reprocessing takes used fuel which has been removed from a nuclear reactor to recover its component parts, plutonium, uranium and waste. this process was originally used at sellafield as part of the site’s early operations in the production of plutonium for the country’s atomic weapons programme .
by
crucial phase
in sellafield' s history, the company was referring to changes to its mission from being an operational nuclear facility into a
fully - fledged decommissioning site
, and as it moves to a new management model as a subsidiary of the nda .
# robots are a vital part of our work at # sellafield – our work experience students at our # warrington offices this week are from @ stmaryschs @ winstanleycoll @ bridgewaterhs and programmed this robot to negotiate its way to work in difficult - to - reach areas. # ukroboticsweek urltoken
sellafield is transforming. we are preparing for the mission change and have defined the organisation we want to be in ten years’ time – how we operate internally, our size and shape, the way we work with the supply chain, and our ability to maximise wider opportunities in the future .
a year of
landmark progress
is expected at sellafield in the coming year, it said. all remaining fuel in the pile fuel storage pond is expected to be cleared during the year and bulk retrievals of sludge and fuel are scheduled to begin from the first generation magnox storage pond .
sellafield has led the development of the uk’s nuclear industry, from the production of plutonium for the country’s nuclear deterrent programme through to the development of nuclear power generation. today we are faced with the challenge of cleaning - up the legacy of the site’s early operations, including some of the most hazardous nuclear facilities in europe .
as an expert, mr donaldson started with an inevitable disadvantage in being a full - time employee of bnfl. prior to the decision of the court of appeal in r (factortame ltd) v secretary of state for transport, local government and the regions (no 8) [ 2003 ] qb 381, there were some who thought that full - time employment by the party calling him was a crippling disability for an expert, sufficient to render his opinions inadmissible as expert evidence: see for example liverpool roman catholic archdiocesan trustees v goldberg (no 3) [ 2001 ] 1wlr2337 .
the issues in the case arose out of the agreement for, and provision by the claimant of, a nuclear fuel reprocessing service to the owners / operators of certain nuclear power stations and specifically one in germany, being a reprocessing facility designed and built for the purpose at sellafield, known as the thermal oxide reprocessing plant or “thorp” .
british nuclear fuels ltd (bnfl) is to be finally abolished, said the uk government as it carried out a major cull of public bodies. the former industrial giant began life in 1971 and developed to manage the uk' s nuclear fuel cycle centres and all 26 magnox nuclear power reactors. it established a us - based decommissioning division in 1990, bought the reactor vendor westinghouse in 1999 and in 2000 bought the nuclear business of abb and integrated it into westinghouse. in its own words, bnfl was
a highly influential and respected nuclear company with operations across the uk and overseas .
when the spent (used) fuel is removed from a nuclear reactor it is still emitting radiation and heat. it is put into large fuel storage ponds or pools of water near the reactor where it can sit to allow it to cool and allow the radiation levels to decrease. after this cooling period, the fuel is loaded into specially constructed secure containers called' flasks'. these flasks are transported to sellafield either by road, rail or from overseas customers by sea in purpose built ships .
mr donaldson was a factual witness of quite exceptional quality. in addition to providing a highly detailed account of the design of thorp and of the ancillary plant necessary for a complete oxide fuel reprocessing system in his first witness statement, he evidently carried out the most through preparation for the provision of further factual information while being cross examined, and in numerous respects amplified his written account with substantial and precise further detail, wherever requested either by counsel or by the court. … in short, there appeared to be no aspect of the oxide or magnox reprocessing plants at sellafield about which mr donaldson had not carried out the necessary preparatory work to be able to provide well researched and reliable factual answers to the technical issues thrown up by the rtr issue .
while it is now clear that full - time employment by a party is no longer a disqualifying characteristic for the giving of expert evidence, the lack of an independent relationship between the expert and the party calling him nonetheless remains a major factor going to the weight of the expert evidence, and one which it has been necessary for me to bear constantly in mind. nuclear fuel reprocessing is a subject in relation to which it is no doubt difficult to find experts with relevant experience and qualifications, and although there are no doubt other reprocessing plants abroad, each will operate under its own commercial, technological and in particular regulatory constraints which render experience abroad intrinsically less valuable to the expert than experience at sellafield itself. furthermore, it may persuasively be argued that there is little substitute, in terms of a reliable perception of the realities, for a long day - to - day involvement in the process of the design and commissioning of the very plant under review .
balancing those considerations, mr donaldson’s thorough preparation, wide ranging experience and personal involvement in the design, operation and maintenance of the thorp plant and its predecessor at sellafield largely made up for his lack of de facto independence from bnfl. furthermore, it appeared to me that he had both taken on board and resolved to take seriously his responsibility to the court as an expert witness. he was much criticised in cross examination for the perhaps argumentative tone of parts of his second witness statement, in which he took the defendants’ experts to task in robust terms for, as he regarded it, ignoring or failing to take account of material matters, including matters as to which he had given factual evidence available to them before they wrote their reports. that cross examination of mr donaldson was directed to persuading me that he was arguing a case rather than providing an objective opinion. i found his oral evidence to be an encouraging contrast to the signs of argumentativeness in his second witness statement. on the whole, he seemed to me to maintain both balance and objectivity under cross examination to an extent which led me to conclude that the apparent argumentativeness of parts of his second witness statement was more a matter of style than substance. …”
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from cleaning - up the country’s highest nuclear risks and hazards to safeguarding nuclear fuel, materials and waste, our mission is nationally important .
we work in value streams, focusing on what we are really here to do, and prioritising what we do and how we do it to maximise value. we currently have four value streams :
spent nuclear fuel management: we currently reprocess spent nuclear fuel. that means taking the fuel that has been used inside a nuclear power station and extracting the individual component parts of plutonium, uranium and waste. in future we will store fuel instead of reprocessing it
our work demands a mix of direct employment and supply chain capability. together they are a team of more than 11, 000 nuclear experts .
innovation spans the spectrum of bespoke technology to fit - for - purpose solutions. our supply chain partners are developing solutions for us that can be exported to other customers. we research and invest in areas with the potential to add greatest value to our mission .
we aim to build relationships with the nuclear decommissioning authority, regulators, customers, stakeholders and the supply chain, recognising that we can achieve more together than we can alone .
our governance arrangements ensure that there is a clean line of sight from the strategic decisions made by our board to the day - to - day decisions made by our teams. our nuclear operations are carried out in line with the appropriate regulatory authorisations and permissions .
the remote nature of the site, along with its industrial workforce and experience in working for the ministry of supply, made it the ideal location to produce plutonium for the country’s atomic weapons programme .
intermediate level waste is mixed with a grout material in engineered stainless steel drums to form a solid, stable form. this makes it suitable for long - term storage and disposal
high level waste is dried to a powder, mixed with glass and heated to form a molten mixture. this is then poured into stainless steel containers to solidify. the waste is then placed into a store before final disposal in the uk or return to its country of origin
we are developing a high - performance, value - led organisation that reduces high hazard faster, costs the taxpayer less, and responds more quickly to potential funding changes. at the same time, we are looking for ways to maximise the socio - economic benefit from our funding and supply chain spend .
across our business we do vital work and face significant challenges. we need people with a wide range of different skills sets, knowledge and technical capabilities to successfully complete our mission .
west cumbria is a unique, beautiful place to live and work. an area of vivid and exciting contrasts, it has awe - inspiring lake district mountains on one side and the dramatic and picturesque irish sea coast on the other .
the local area is a great place to call home. whether you want the busy and bustling towns of whitehaven and workington, the genteel charm of cockermouth, the timeless calm of ravenglass, eskdale and st bees, or even, a little further away, the bright lights of carlisle, there are locations to suit all lifestyles .
combining hi - tech development with the charm of rural villages and beautiful countryside, warrington is an area becoming ever more popular as a place to live and work .
warrington has even more to offer. right at the heart of vibrant, busy northwest england, it is 30 minutes from both manchester and liverpool. it is a part of the country within easy access of superb shopping, a thriving nightlife and first - class leisure facilities .
our work is complex, vital and demanding. those who do it receive an attractive package of rewards and benefits .
the more important the work, the more important the play. work / life balance matters to us. that’s why we offer 25. 5 days’ holiday as standard .
in addition to annual leave entitlements there are 8 public holidays per year observed as paid holidays within the company .
we offer an attractive defined contribution (money purchase) pension scheme. you will be automatically enrolled in the plan when you start here .
you’ll have the opportunity to benefit from an annual bonus, linked to company performance, of up to £3250. additional personal bonuses are also available to those individuals who hold management positions .
note: the company reserves the right to review or withdraw the bonus schemes at any time .
we are fully aware of the benefits to be gained by formally recognising the efforts of our people. we have a number of ways of both encouraging and rewarding staff who go above and beyond or achieve something out of the ordinary. this could involve recognising an action which epitomises our values or exemplifies role model behaviour that others in our organisation can learn from and emulate. we also recognise the efforts made by employees throughout their service and have developed a number of initiatives in order to recognise these efforts. these include :
we provide a number of family friendly policies, which contain benefits that exceeds the statutory requirement. these include :
we have a company sick pay scheme for employees who are unable to attend due to unavoidable sickness and absence and who follow the set down notification and certification procedure .
we will provide equality and fairness for all our employees and not discriminate on the grounds of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex or sexual orientation. (these are the protected characteristics highlighted by the equality act 2010) .
our graduate scheme will maximise your skills, confidence and experience. get real ‘on the job’ experience and significant responsibilities from day one .
whether you’re at school, have just left school or aren’t sure about your next steps, we have an apprenticeship scheme that could be suited to you .
we offer two types of placement: an industrial that lasts 12 months, and a summer placement that lasts 10 weeks .
in the event of an emergency or incident affecting our sites, such as severe weather conditions, we will update the current status on this page .
staff can also call our information line for more details about a current incident .
we will also communicate with staff using other channels as appropriate, including text messages to company mobile devices (blackberrys, phones, pages, etc). we recommend staff listen to local radio stations in west cumbria and read local media websites .
join us and you’ll work closely with outstanding – often world - leading – experts, receive unmatched training and develop your career as far as your ambition will take you .
( please note: this link will open the page in a new browser window. )
are you a student unsure of your next steps? try out our brand new career compass - where you will be matched to one of our entry level schemes based on your qualifications. click here to try it out .
our degree apprenticeships offer the perfect balance of on - the - job training and experience whilst enabling you to also study for a degree without having to cover the cost of tuition .
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* * notice for potential sounding of the site siren * * as part of a site emergency exercise the siren could be sounded tomorrow (tuesday 10th july 2018). the siren may be heard outside the site, please take no action. sorry for any inconvenience this may cause .
we’ve extended the deadline for the in - cumbria business awards 2018 due to demand. don’t delay, get your entries in by friday 13 to be in with a chance of winning !
here in the north of england we have the passion, the innovation and the dedication to succeed .
we had our 1st day 1 of the @ sellafieldltd teach the teacher work experience programme. teachers from @ bcawarrington, @ b _ and _ fc, @ thomasboteler, @ mfl _ bhs, @ priestlysfc & @ penkethschool safely transferring fuel elements from storage to de - canning zone urltoken
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our first trade mission is fast approaching. buyers from our tier 2 partners include arco, cavendish nuclear
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today. the local community and businesses doing great things together for worthwhile charities. stay safe and enjoy it .
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middle william penney (the father of britain' s atom and h bomb' s and led the inquiry into the windscale fire. (c) ukaea copyright tx bbc two, monday 8th october 2007 on the night of 10th october 1957, britain suffered its worst nuclear accident. a fire began to spread throughout the core of the windscale nuclear reactor, sending radioactive dust across britain. using the tape recordings of the inquiry into the fire - kept secret for 50 years and now heard for the first time - and interviews with the men who risked their lives to prevent a nuclear tragedy, the film shows how political ambition fuelled the fire. and it reveals how prime minister macmillan, desperate not to undermine britain' s special relationship with the us, covered up the truth and made the heroes of windscale the scapegoats for the fire .
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the flasks of used fuel are taken to the thorp receipt and storage facility by rail. once the lid bolts are removed, the flasks are placed underwater and the lids are taken off. the containers holding the used fuel are removed from the flasks and are transferred to the storage pond .
the nuclear industry has invested substantial amounts of money in new plants to treat and package waste from reprocessing operations. the wastes are classified into high, intermediate and low level waste streams. discharges from all our sites must follow strict government authorisations in accordance with international rules .
high - level waste (hlw) is radioactive enough to generate heat. this waste is what remains when the uranium and plutonium have been reprocessed .
intermediate - level waste (ilw) is far less radioactive than high - level waste. it is made up of such things as fuel element cladding, contaminated equipment and sludge that come from the treatment processes .
low - level waste (llw) includes paper towels, clothing and laboratory equipment, which have been used in areas where radioactive materials are used .
post operational clean out, where the radioactive material inventory and residual hazards are removed using existing equipment in the building. if facilities are not decommissioned straight away, either to allow radioactive materials to decay, because of interfacing projects or facilities, or financial viability, they are placed into care and maintenance and undergo routine surveillance until decommissioning starts .
the waste characterisation phase defines the types of waste materials that are present, the appropriate disposal route, and the method that can be used for the dismantling and demolition phases. decommissioning and dismantling involves either manual or robotic removal of all process plant and equipment and the radiological decontamination of the structure as far as possible .
standard industry demolition techniques are then used and can either be mechanical or, if the structure and location allows, explosive. the land is then remediated for whatever future use is determined for the site .
however, the company said it
has made clear that further efficiency savings will be required in order to deliver the scope of work planned for 2016 / 17
.
this means, he said ,
doing more for less and ensuring we are extracting the maximum value possible from the budget we are given .
some recent efficiencies highlighted in the company' s staff magazine energize include more than £1. 2 million saved on travel and subsistence in the first six months of 2015 / 16; £95, 000 a month saved by switching to a new printing platform; £75, 000 a year saved following improvements to ‘steam traps’ in the magnox reprocessing plant .
the nda' s draft business plan is out for public consultation until 15 february .
apprentice training manager steve bewsher and mechanical design apprentice philip marwood were selected to represent the company at an apprenticeship celebration event held at 10 downing street .
the low level waste repository (llwr) has been in operation since 1959 providing an essential service by managing the uk’s low level radioactive waste .
but even in earlier days, the site was providing a vital service to the nation, as during world war ii, it was home to a royal ordnance factory .
at the end of the war, the factory was closed, leaving a legacy of contaminated land that we continue to manage .
in 1957 ownership of the site passed to the united kingdom atomic energy authority and planning consent was granted to develop it as a low level waste facility .
in those days, disposal of low level waste was based on landfill practices, with waste being tipped into clay - based trenches and covered with layers of stone and soil .
today the disposal trenches have been covered with a water resistant cap and a soil layer with planting of a mixture of grass and shrubs in keeping with the natural environment .
in 1988 a new approach to the treatment and disposal of low level waste in the uk saw the opening of vault 8, an engineered facility for the long - term management of low level waste. under this new system, low level waste was placed in containers and grouted prior to disposal in vault 8 .
the new facilities meant that low level waste could be compacted to reduce its volume and grouted within containers ready for disposal in vault 8 maximising the use of vault space .
the nuclear decommissioning authority (nda) was established in 2005 to take responsibility for the decommissioning and clean - up of the uk’s civil public sector nuclear sites .
ownership of the site transferred to the nda on 1st april 2005. in accordance with the nda’s strategy and in support of government objectives, a competition was launched in 2006 for a contract to manage and operate the low level waste repository on behalf of the nda .
planning permission for the development of vault 9 at the low level waste repository was granted in january 2008 and construction commenced in september 2008 .
uknwm was awarded a 17 - year management and operations contract to operate the repository on behalf of the nda .
the contract was split into three periods of five years and one of two years, with the onus on successful delivery of objectives laid out in the contract .
in 2009 the repository celebrated 50 years of safe operations, and the same year vault 9 opened, securing continued operations into the next decade .
the uk strategy for the management of solid low level radioactive waste from the nuclear industry was approved in august 2010 by the uk government and devolved administrations .
the strategy was developed by the nda in conjunction with llwr with the aim of providing a high level framework within which llw management decisions can be taken flexibly to ensure safe, environmentally acceptable and cost - effective management solutions .
llwr’s 2011 environmental safety case (esc) was submitted to the environment agency on the 1st may 2011. it plays a very important role in determining the future of the low level waste repository as the uk’s primary facility for the disposal of low level waste .
the objective of our esc is to demonstrate to the environment agency and other stakeholders that it is safe to continue to dispose of llw at the llwr site. it considers environmental safety both now and up to thousands of years in the future .
2012 witnessed the completion of a suite of waste management services designed to assist the implementation of the national llw strategy through the application of the waste management hierarchy .
this revolutionized waste management with a switch in focus from 95% disposal of waste directed to the repository in 2009 and only 5% diverted to 85% diversion and just 15% disposal six years later. by 2018, the diversion figure had risen to around 95% .
in 2013 nda awarded uknwm a further five year contract term to manage llwr following successful implementation and delivery of key commitments since uknwm won the original contract in 2008 .
2015 proved another big year for the repository. llwr was granted a revised environmental permit to allow continued disposal of wastes at the site, and a planning application, which, if granted would secure its future until around 2050, was submitted to cumbria county council .
the application, granted in 2016, sought to construct two new vaults and an extension to vault 9, in addition to a final cap over existing and new vaults and the historic landfill - style trenches .
the repository plans to accommodate the uk’s forecasted waste arisings well into the next century, potentially constructing more vaults, if required, leaving a closure date of around 2130 .
in addition there is an aim to complete the clear - up of legacy plutonium contaminated materials (pcm) in 2018 and a planning application has taken it a step closer to long - term closure of the trenches and of vault 8 .
the firm beat off strong competition to be named macro employer of the year at the north west heat of the national apprenticeships awards 2015 .
“we work extremely hard, in partnership with our training providers, to offer the highest quality education, training and employment prospects for local people .
“our apprenticeships cover a range of skills, including electrical, mechanical, design, engineering, business administration, and for the first time this year we have introduced three new programmes: a nuclear scientist and nuclear engineer degree apprenticeship, nuclear welding inspection technician and a fire and rescue apprenticeship. ”
the case involved the calling of both factual and expert witnesses to provide evidence and some witnesses who gave both factual and expert evidence .
the case consisted of claims by bnfl that the defendants had failed to pay the full amounts due under invoices rendered to each of them pursuant to the service agreements, as supplemented by the side letters. non - payment was admitted, but the defendants sought to justify non - payment, and to obtain recovery of alleged overpayment, under a series of defences and counter - claims .
relevant excerpts from the judgment of the mr justice briggs are worthy of being directly quoted – by reason of the high significance of the issue of the independence of experts and how an expert may counterbalance a lack of independence by various means. the judgment also addresses how a witness of fact may, in appropriate circumstances, also act in the same case as an expert witness .
bnfl’s main witness was mr nigel donaldson, called both as a witness of fact and as an expert. … i have kept in mind the need to distinguish between mr donaldson’s qualities as a witness of fact, and his qualities as an expert .
upon analysis, his role may fairly be divided into three. first, he gave direct factual evidence about aspects of the design and appraisal of the thorp project in which he had been personally involved at the relevant time. secondly, he provided largely hearsay factual evidence about a whole range of matters relevant to the rtr issue which he had collected from a detailed appraisal of the relevant documents, and from discussion with current and former colleagues at bnfl, several of whom did not give evidence themselves. thirdly, he gave expert evidence in the form of his opinion as to the reasonableness of the conclusions reached by bnfl in reaching its view that thorp could reprocess a 7, 000tu baseload in ten years.
sellafield ltd is a nuclear decommissioning site licence company ( slc ) controlled by the nuclear decommissioning authority ( nda ) , a government body set up specifically to deal with the nuclear legacy under the energy act 2004 . until 2016 , it was operated under licence from the nda by a third party parent body organisation called nuclear management partners . sellafield ltd 's main aim is to manage the decommissioning of the sellafield facility on behalf of the nda . the company employs more than 13,000 workers and its focus is to deliver accelerated nuclear decommissioning and clean-up programmes . it is also involved in world-leading power operations , nuclear fuel production and reprocessing , international decommissioning , and international transportation . 
sellafield ltd is a nuclear decommissioning site licence company (slc) controlled by the nuclear decommissioning authority (nda), a government body set up specifically to deal with the nuclear legacy under the energy act 2004. until 2016, it was operated under licence from the nda by a third party parent body organisation called nuclear management partners. sellafield ltd's main aim is to manage the decommissioning of the sellafield facility on behalf of the nda. the company employs more than 13,000 workers and its focus is to deliver accelerated nuclear decommissioning and clean-up programmes. it is also involved in world-leading power operations, nuclear fuel production and reprocessing, international decommissioning, and international transportation.
sellafield ltd is a nuclear decommissioning site licence company (slc) controlled by the nuclear decommissioning authority (nda), a government body set up specifically to deal with the nuclear legacy under the energy act 2004. until 2016, it was operated under licence from the nda by a third party parent body organisation called nuclear management partners. sellafield ltd's main aim is to manage the decommissioning of the sellafield facility on behalf of the nda. the company employs more than 13,000 workers and its focus is to deliver accelerated nuclear decommissioning and clean-up programmes. it is also involved in world-leading power operations, nuclear fuel production and reprocessing, international decommissioning, and international transportation.