8-Jun-2006
- The Environment Agency is holding drop-in sessions
for the public to discuss proposals for the future
regulation of radioactive waste disposal from
Atomic Weapon Establishments managed by AWE plc.
Public consultation on the limits
and conditions under which AWE can dispose of
radioactive waste at its two sites, at Aldermaston
and Burghfield, began on 15 May this year.
The two drop-in sessions, which
will be held in Tadley and Reading, will give
the public the opportunity to talk to our nuclear
experts about the consultation, which continues
until 7 August 2006.
The two sessions will be held
at: Tadley Community Centre between 2pm and 8pm
on Tuesday 20 June and Reading Town Hall (Oscar
Wilde Suite) between 10am and 6pm on Thursday
22 June.
Proposals under consideration
include the reduction of gaseous and liquefied
discharges and the use of an additional incinerator
site at Colnbrook, Berkshire, for the disposal
of tritium and carbon-14 contaminated wastes.
The company is also seeking
a disposal route for tritium contaminated building
waste left after decommissioning work at Aldermaston.
David Griffiths, a nuclear regulator
for the Environment Agency, said: "We want
to invite anyone who has an interest in the review,
the proposals or the consultation to come along
and talk to us in an open and informal setting.
"There is no need for anyone
to make an appointment, just come along to one
of the sessions, meet our experts face to face
and we will be happy to help in any way we can."
Details of the proposals can
be seen in our consultation pack, which is available
on our website, www.environment-agency.gov.uk
and can also be viewed at local libraries around
the sites or at the Environment Agency’s offices
at Wallingford and Reading.
The authorisations are being
reviewed to ensure that the limits for discharging
radioactive waste are still appropriate and that
the conditions we have set continue to protect
the public and the environment.
We want to ensure that AWE continues
to safely manage its radioactive waste disposals
from these sites.
In our role in protecting and
improving the environment, we are committed to
progressive reductions in radioactive discharges
and discharge limits from sites such as Aldermaston
and Burghfield wherever possible.
Mr. Griffiths said: "We
have put forward our proposals for the two sites,
and the public now have a vital role to play in
helping us set out the conditions of the company’s
authorisation.
"If anyone has any issues
they would like to raise as a result of these
proposals, I urge them to come along to one of
these two sessions and take the time to talk to
our nuclear specialists, who will be happy to
answer questions and discuss the permits."
All responses will be logged, acknowledged and
considered as part of the process, and could influence
changes to the considerations.
The Environment Agency will
also be working closely with the Food Standards
Agency and the Nuclear Installation’s Inspectorate,
and all issues raised during the consultation
will be published in the decision document in
the Autumn.
All comments should be sent
to: AWE plc Review, Environment Agency, Nuclear
Regulatory Group (South), Red Kite House, Howbery
Park, Wallingford, Oxfordshire, OX10 8BD or by
e-mail to: nrg.south@environment-agency.gov.uk
and should not be received any later than 7 August
2006.
Libraries which hold a copy
of the consultation document are: Burghfield;
Caversham; Hungerford; Reading Central; Lambourn;
Palmer Park, Reading; Mortimer; Southcote; Newbury;
Tilehurst; Pangbourne; Whitley; Thatcham; Marlborough;
Theale; Basingstoke; Battle, Reading; Tadley.
Notes:
Under the Radioactive Substances
Act 1993 authorisation is required by any business
that wants to dispose of or store radioactive
waste. At nuclear sites, Nuclear Site Licences
deal with the storage of radioactive waste and
authorisations cover disposals.
This review looks at the management arrangements,
operation and maintenance of the plants to ensure
that any radioactive risk is kept to a minimum.
Tritium is a radioactive isotope
of hydrogen, and can be formed naturally by the
action of the sun’s rays on water vapour in the
upper atmosphere.
It has a wide range of applications
in medicine and the defence, manufacturing and
pharmaceutical industries.
Carbon-14 is a radioactive element
that emits low energy beta radiation, and presents
a very low radiation hazard.
AWE does not routinely generate
radioactive waste that includes carbon-14 but
this type of waste is most effectively disposed
of by incineration.
