Sellafield waste team has 50,000 reasons to celebrate
A team at the heart of Sellafield鈥檚 clean-up mission has hit a momentous milestone.
Some of the RER team in front of the encapsulation plants and product storage facilities on the Sellafield site.
皇冠体育app Sellafield site鈥檚 Retrievals East River (RER) has just received, treated, and sent for storage its 50,000th intermediate level waste package.
Retrievals East River plays a crucial role in the decommissioning of Sellafield and helps keeps the lights on across the UK.
It takes intermediate level waste from Sellafield鈥檚 legacy plants and deals with remnants of spent fuel from the UK鈥檚 Advanced Gas-cooled Reactors (AGRs.)
皇冠体育app AGR programme provided RER鈥檚 50,000th package: a graphite filled waste drum.
Lee Metcalf, head of RER operations, said:
I鈥檓 proud to be part of a team that, for more than 3 decades, has safely received and processed intermediate level waste into a disposal form. Reaching this milestone is down to the dedication and hard work of everyone involved.
In processing these 50,000 packages, we鈥檝e used an impressive 12,000 m鲁 or 24,000 tons of grout. That鈥檚 enough to fill 5 Olympic swimming pools or pack 120 double-decker buses!
Alyson Armett, head of retrievals value stream, said:
Even though reprocessing operations have ended, RER continues to play a vital role in UK energy generation by accepting waste from fuel dismantling, helping to keep the lights on across the country.
We鈥檙e also contributing to the ongoing site-wide clean-up of our most hazardous facilities, like the Magnox Swarf Storage Silo.
Originally, the silo waste was meant for the Box Encapsulation Plant, but with this plant not operational until 2027, RER has adapted its facilities to accept this waste in the meantime.
As we address legacy waste and prepare for increased waste removal from our legacy ponds and silos, RER remains at the forefront of intermediate level waste management.
Through ongoing innovation, adaptation and repurposing its facilities, RER is committed to supporting a cleaner, safer environment for future generations.
A huge congratulations to the teams and everyone involved achieving this major milestone.
RER processes waste from a variety of sources using innovative technology to ensure it is safely stored until its final disposal in a Geological Disposal Facility.