The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority has delivered a UK-first nuclear safety milestone by safely processing a can of plutonium residue into a stable waste form for the first time.
This breakthrough marks a significant step toward permanently disposing of the nation’s plutonium legacy.
The achievement marks the start of a programme at the NDA group’s Sellafield site to process around 400 cans of plutonium residue, a by-product from historic manufacturing processes of fuels and other materials.
The residue is processed and made ready for eventual disposal in a Geological Disposal Facility in a Sellafield plant that has operated safely since the mid-1980s.
Adapting and repurposing existing facilities, rather than building a new one, ensures faster delivery and better value for the taxpayer, the NDA said.
David Peattie, NDA Group CEO, said: “This UK-first milestone demonstrates the unrivalled expertise of the NDA Group, with special recognition for the Sellafield team whose innovation and specialist skills have made this achievement possible.
“The full immobilisation programme will take many decades, but processing this first can of residue into a disposable form represents significant progress and was achieved within 12 months of the policy being announced.
“Tackling the UK’s plutonium challenge will remain a top priority for the NDA group for decades, and with the support of the Government’s significant investment in this mission, we’re proud to be leading the way in making the UK safer for generations to come.”
Minister for Science, Innovation, Research and Nuclear, Lord Vallance, said: “This milestone is a testament to the UK’s leadership in innovation and nuclear legacy management, thanks to the expertise and commitment of our workforce at Sellafield.”
Euan Hutton, Sellafield’s CEO, added: “Turning the world’s largest stockpile of this extremely hazardous substance into a safe form and then disposing of it will dominate our work for decades.
“This achievement means we can deal with some of the more problematic plutonium now, making a start on putting the material beyond reach earlier, and underlines our commitment to deal with the legacy of decades of reprocessing work.
“Our specialist workforce, trained in unique ‘alpha’ skills, have adapted processes to handle material never managed before. Their innovation and commitment should be applauded.”
Building on this UK-first success at Sellafield, the NDA group will tackle the bigger challenge of immobilising the UK’s entire civil separated plutonium inventory, having been tasked by the Government to do so in January 2025.
Immobilisation puts the plutonium beyond reach, addressing the long-term safety and security risks associated with it.
As the majority of the plutonium is in a more hazardous oxide powder form and cannot be processed using existing methods, its immobilisation will require designing and proving first-of-its kind technology to lock it into a stable form for permanent disposal in a GDF, and will require a processing plant and interim storage capability to be built at Sellafield.
The Government has recently allocated £154 million over five years to the NDA Group to help meet this challenge.
The investment has delivered early results with the plutonium residue work, and will continue as the NDA Group works with the supply chain to design, install and operate specialist laboratory facilities at Sellafield, where experts can test and prove technology to immobilise the wider plutonium inventory.
This investment will support 100 jobs and the majority will be in Cumbria.
The NDA Group – in particular Sellafield Ltd and Nuclear Waste Services – will work in partnership with the UK National Nuclear Laboratory and the wider supply chain to deliver the work.
