Geological disposal of radioactive waste in Cumbria

Transcription

1 Geological disposal of radioactive waste in Cumbria Nuclear waste exists and has to be solved Nuclear power is likely to be part of the UK mix But HOW, WHEN and WHERE? homes/rsh/ Allerdale_and_Copeland.html Stuart HASZELDINE University of Edinburgh Professor of Geology Radioactive waste Cumbria: Maryport, Silloth 21, 22 Nov

2 Nuclear power First civil nuclear power 1956, in west Cumbria High technology, jobs and skills But waste ignored until 1970 s IGS UK drilling nationally 1970 s Nirex UK survey 1980 s Nirex west Cumbria 1990 s MRWS west Cumbria 2010 s s.haszeldine@ed.ac.uk Radioactive waste Cumbria: Maryport, Silloth 21, 22 Nov

3 Types of sites These are sites where water flow is favourable to disposal of radioactive waste. X Identified by the British Geological Survey in 1979 BGS 2010 does not consider favourable sites, just excluded sites s.haszeldine@ed.ac.uk Radioactive waste Cumbria: Maryport, Silloth 21, 22 Nov

4 UK search! west Cumbria 65 x 60km investigated Nirex search UK, evaluated all west Cumbria, for one site s.haszeldine@ed.ac.uk Radioactive waste Cumbria: Maryport, Silloth 21, 22 Nov

5 Lots of boreholes were drilled 29 bores, 10,000m rock core. Best studied site in world Radioactive waste Cumbria: Maryport, Silloth 21, 22 Nov

6 The geology is complex 1 km Map of HardKnott and Eskdale showing BVG and granite, with many faults and 5 x 4 km repository (illustrative) 1 km Section at coast. Sediments overly deep BVG 4 km repository (real). Just the biggest faults s.haszeldine@ed.ac.uk Radioactive waste Cumbria: Maryport, Silloth 21, 22 Nov

7 2 4 The water flow was still unpredictable Measuring fracture shapes doesn t help flow modellng Current V future fractures? Explicit groundwater models NOT possible Degnan 2003 GSLSpec Pub km s.haszeldine@ed.ac.uk Radioactive waste Cumbria: Maryport, Silloth 21, 22 Nov

8 Finland and West Cumbria Disposal in Finland is flat land, in uniform rock. Groundwater moves geologically slowly Disposal in Cumbria next to mountains, very complex faulted rock. Groundwater moves geologically very fast Radioactive waste Cumbria: Maryport, Silloth 21, 22 Nov

9 BGS exclusions MRWS asked BGS to map the excluded zones in 2010 mineral or water resource, shown That excludes most of the western coast Subsequently, a different part of UK Government have offered Shale-Gas and Coal-Bed-Methane exploration. That excludes the rest of the coastal zone for a 5x5km Repository 2010: Not many places left s.haszeldine@ed.ac.uk Radioactive waste Cumbria: Maryport, Silloth 21, 22 Nov

10 Rain from the fells flows west BGS 2010 p 42 The accepted conceptual flow model for the saline interface is upward flow, with saline marine water flowing up and back into the sea and fresh water. discharge at or near the coast. s.haszeldine@ed.ac.uk Radioactive waste Cumbria: Maryport, Silloth 21, 22 Nov

11 Chemistry of cumbria- iron oxide pyrite haematite Workington and Millom had 100 Mt iron ore. Groundwater is opposite to needs Radioactive waste Cumbria: Maryport, Silloth 21, 22 Nov

12 Oxidising: uranium can dissolve Dissolves West Cumbria water Reducing Oxidising Uranium (spent fuel) can dissolve in oxidising groundwater Radioactive waste Cumbria: Maryport, Silloth 21, 22 Nov

13 Spent fuel heat: water flow faster McKeown et al Radioactive waste Cumbria: Maryport, Silloth 21, 22 Nov

14 Radioactive gas rises to surface Thus, the nuclear industry has calculated that the escape of radioactive methane would result in a dose four thousand times greater than the dose considered tolerable by the Environment Agency (NWAA March 2010) Corrosion of iron and organic waste, makes H2, CO2, CH4 radioactive 14C gas to surface within 60yr. 20yr research s.haszeldine@ed.ac.uk Radioactive waste Cumbria: Maryport, Silloth 21, 22 Nov

15 Laboratory for these problems? Hot high-level waste and fuel in fractured rock does not have any UK disposal design. Site specific research needed. Other states have laboratories for 30 years Äspö, Sweden Radioactive waste Cumbria: Maryport, Silloth 21, 22 Nov

16 Expert review 2012 MRWS 285 (Dearlove) There remain at least two potentially suitable rock volumes in West Cumbria that have the potential to be suitable GDF host rocks. Neither of these two rock volumes should be regarded at this stage as being particularly promising,. 8 Jan 2011 Inspector to Alun Ellis NDA: the PRZ had been chosen for these studies in an arbitrary manner, without conforming to internationally agreed, geological criteria.. It would not suffice in European Law to rely on the White Paper's voluntarism approach M science, 12M legal Geological Society 19 June 2012 the whole of West Cumbria cannot be ruled out at this stage". (MRWS 292) s.haszeldine@ed.ac.uk Radioactive waste Cumbria: Maryport, Silloth 21, 22 Nov

17 Impartial Planning Inspector MacDonald The indications are, in my judgement, still overwhelmingly that this site is not suitable for the proposed repository, and that investigations should now be moved to one of the more promising sites elsewhere. Planning Inspector MacDonald 2012 (MRWS 267) Now seeking 3x the Nirex site.. Nirex was rejected at MRWS Stage 5 Planning Inspector MacDonald 2012 (MRWS 267) Look only for environments that show obvious promise in their geology and hydrogeology. Similar hydrogeology all along the coast probability of eventually identifying a really promising site is low Planning Inspector MacDonald 2012 (MRWS 267) Nuclear Decommissioning Authority is overly optimistic and so was Nirex. Government is setting a very low threshold. Planning Inspector MacDonald 2012 (MRWS 267) Would have expected that a fresh search would have started for simpler & better sites elsewhere in the UK, s.haszeldine@ed.ac.uk Radioactive waste Cumbria: Maryport, Silloth 21, 22 Nov

18 Impartial II CALC 20 Aug 2012 CALC does not consider there is evidence of clear public support for proceeding into the next stage of the MRWS process.. What is missing is any substantial evidence showing that there is a sufficiently good prospect of finding a site in West Cumbria CALC 30 Aug 2012 We believe there are serious gaps in the information available to the councils. Dr Dearlove (MRWS) ENDS Report 454, Nov 2012 First and foremost the geology has to be suitable. I do not believe you can engineer a repository. Engineering is meant to last 100s of years; a repository needs to last hundreds of thousands of years. s.haszeldine@ed.ac.uk Radioactive waste Cumbria: Maryport, Silloth 21, 22 Nov

19 The Choice Voluntarism without JUSTIFICATION and SEA (Strategic Environmental Assessment) is not clearly legal in UK and EU planning law ENDS Report 454 Nov 2012 If the government has not properly examined alternatives it could be open to challenge, says Angus Evers, head of the environmental group at law firm SJ Berwin LLP Radioactive waste Cumbria: Maryport, Silloth 21, 22 Nov

20 MRWS pathway What it means : The MRWS path of voluntarism was set by the White Paper 2008 A Community is defined, and a Decision Making Body, which comprises just a few Councillors Withdrawal is decided by the DMB, NOT Host Community. Subject to agreement from Govt (6.38) Withdraw before underground operations and construction due to begin 2008 (6.44) Before Stage 5 agree criteria for Withdrawal Intention to legalise Right of Withdraw but not yet s.haszeldine@ed.ac.uk Radioactive waste Cumbria: Maryport, Silloth 21, 22 Nov

21 Who is the community? Parish Councils have voted RED = no, GREEN = Yes, Orange = Discussed undecided Government White Paper 1998 and MRWS 299 state the decisions are NOT made by a Host Community village or Parish. Decisions will be made by a small group in the Borough 18 May 2012 Arthur Mille Rural people can be over-ruled by the Borough Council, and by Government s.haszeldine@ed.ac.uk Radioactive waste Cumbria: Maryport, Silloth 21, 22 Nov

22 Alternatives Cumbria Teesside Radioactive waste Cumbria: Maryport, Silloth 21, 22 Nov

23 Good regions are known hard sediment BUSC Stanford (Norfolk) is a military range, with six residents s.haszeldine@ed.ac.uk Radioactive waste Cumbria: Maryport, Silloth 21, 22 Nov

24 But is anybody looking? Ministers have revealed an "enduring ambition" for Britain's first burial of waste from nuclear power stations to happen as early as 2029, instead of 2040 as originally planned, [originally 2075, actually] Are these government officials looking after west Cumbria? Radioactive waste Cumbria: Maryport, Silloth 21, 22 Nov

25 TRUST Radioactive waste Cumbria: Maryport, Silloth 21, 22 Nov

26 CoRWM 1 : was cherry-picked RECOMMENDATION Multiple sites Public engagement Building Trust Right to withdraw Open evidence Clear limits to inventory Democratic engagement Transparent decisions ACTUAL Single region (Cumbria) Public engagement Lack of Trust Very unclear withdraw Partial information Open ended No referendum Tiny Council groups decide s.haszeldine@ed.ac.uk Radioactive waste Cumbria: Maryport, Silloth 21, 22 Nov

27 Jamie Reed MP Before election as an MP he worked as a Press Officer at Sellafield during the 1990 s, a former nuclear power station and nuclear waste reprocessing installation 16 Nov 2006 Whitehaven News As long as I have anything to (do) with it Nirex will never dig another sod of turf in West Cumbria. Carlisle News & Star 17th Nov 2012 the choices we make need to include three new nuclear reactors (on land just north of Sellafield at Moorside), a new MOX facility at Sellafield, and an underground repository. s.haszeldine@ed.ac.uk Radioactive waste Cumbria: Maryport, Silloth 21, 22 Nov

28 Voting NO ; what does it mean? The only way Copeland can survive the brutal budget cuts it faces is by hosting a new underground nuclear waste repository, says MP Jamie Reed. He told at a public meeting in Whitehaven last night that failing to back nuclear new-build, including the potential major waste disposal facility, would seal the area s fate. The Labour MP called the meeting to discuss Copeland s future in the light of government cuts, in which Copeland Council must save 2.6m by Failure to act now will seal our fate, and the choices we make need to include three new nuclear reactors (on land just north of Sellafield at Moorside), a new Mox facility at Sellafield, and an underground repository. The jobs and community benefits these developments will create are key to our future. Copeland, Allerdale and Cumbria County Councils will decide on January 4 whether to proceed to the next stage of the process to explore hosting an underground facility in the area. Carlisle News & Star 17th Nov s.haszeldine@ed.ac.uk Radioactive waste Cumbria: Maryport, Silloth 21, 22 Nov

29 New nuclear power plant NuGen (Moorside) Centrica and Iberdrola, SSE withdrawn, Iberdrola poor Horizon (Wylfa, Oldbury) Formerly E.ON and RWE sold to GE & Hitachi, low cost plutonium burn-up, no MOX Hinkley, Sizewell (EDF) considered the favourite but time risk, expense Moorside may fail bottom of list Radioactive waste Cumbria: Maryport, Silloth 21, 22 Nov

30 Location of New Reactors in UK In October 2009 NuGen (GDF Suez and Iberdrola) secured an option to purchase land on the West Cumbrian Coast from the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority on which it aims to build a new nuclear power station Moorside of up to 3.6GW capacity. NuGen has paid only 19.5 million for the option, needs to pay a further 50M by October 2014 Scottish and Southern Energy ( SSE ) has since announced its decision to withdraw from the Moorside project. FID to build 2015 Sunday Times, 30 September 2012, said Iberdrola was pulling out of the UK nuclear market The principles for selecting the location of the repository will require suitable geology, a willing community and meeting all the necessary regulatory requirements. s.haszeldine@ed.ac.uk Radioactive waste Cumbria: Maryport, Silloth 21, 22 Nov

31 MOX plant no more MOX explicitly connected to GDF disposal package MOX expensive and un-reliable MOX likely to become out-of-date PRISM is cheaper, safer, flexible, 99% efficient Very un-clear that MOX is necessary Radioactive waste Cumbria: Maryport, Silloth 21, 22 Nov

32 Chaired by Jamie Reed Inquiry by MP s The All Party Committee of Cumbrian MPs announced today that they expect to be hearing evidence on the implications for nuclear repository in Cumbria in November. The committee consists of Rory Stewart MP, John Stephenson MP, Tim Farron MP, John Woodcock MP, Jamie Reed MP and Tony Cunningham MP. Tim Farron said: Storing nuclear waste in our county that will remain dangerous for tens of thousands of years is a very big risk and one that Cumbrians shouldn t take lightly. Jamie Reed 24 Oct I m sure all Cumbrian MPs will join me in ensuring that the nuclear industry in West Cumbria will provide the growth that the Cumbrian economy badly needs. How impartial does an MP need to be? s.haszeldine@ed.ac.uk Radioactive waste Cumbria: Maryport, Silloth 21, 22 Nov

33 A slippery slope, with no return MRWS 1 and 2 MRWS 3 MRWS 4 You Are HERE MRWS 5 MRWS 6 s.haszeldine@ed.ac.uk Radioactive waste Cumbria: Maryport, Silloth 21, 22 Nov

34 The Choice 1) ACCEPT Move to Stage 4 desk studies Jobs and Benefits preeminent, but vague. Ignores geology advice. Ignores Parish votes. 2) DEFER Geology review Better benefits terms Criteria for PASS and FAIL 3) REFUSE Withdraw from MRWS Uncertain public support. Need secure withdrawal. Need benefits and pass/fail. No public majority. Geology risky. Some MP bias? Lack of Trust in Government s.haszeldine@ed.ac.uk Radioactive waste Cumbria: Maryport, Silloth 21, 22 Nov