UK Civil Nuclear Decommissioning, a Blueprint for Korea’s Nuclear Decommissioning Future?: Part II – UK’s Progress and Implications for Korea

• Published in: Journal of nuclear fuel cycle and waste technology (Online) Vol. 20; no. 1; pp. 65 - 98
• Main Authors: Foster, Richard I., Park, June Kyung, Lee, Keunyoung, Seo, Bum-Kyoung
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: 한국방사성폐기물학회 01.03.2022
• Subjects: 원자력공학; Nuclear decommissioning authority; Magnox reactors; United Kingdom; Nuclear decommissioning; Sellafield; Korea
• ISSN: 1738-1894; 2288-5471
• DOI: 10.7733/jnfcwt.2022.006

The nuclear legacy that remains in the United Kingdom (UK) is complex and diverse. Consisting of legacy ponds and silos, redundant reprocessing plants, research facilities, and non-standard or one-off reactor designs, the clean-up of this legacy is under the stewardship of the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA). Through a mix of prompt and delayed decommissioning strategies, the NDA has made great strides in dealing with the UK’s nuclear legacy. Fuel debris and sludge removal from the legacy ponds and silos situated at Sellafield, as part of a prompt decommissioning strategy for the site, has enabled intolerable risks to be brought under control. Reactor defueling and waste retrievals across the Magnox fleet is enabling their transition to a period of care and maintenance; accelerated through the adopted ‘Lead and Learn’ approach. Bespoke decommissioning methods implemented by the NDA have also enabled the relevant site licence companies to tackle non-standard reactor designs and one-off wastes. Such approaches have potential to influence and shape nuclear decommissioning decision making activities globally, including in Korea.