RWM looking at GDF in Lincolnshire
GDF process requires community consent
Illustrative example of a Geological Disposal Facility (GDF)
RWM is in early-stage discussions with Lincolnshire County Council to see if they are interested in forming or joining a local Working Group as part of a national project to find a location for a Geological Disposal Facility (GDF).
A Working Group would begin discussions about the potential for hosting a deep geological facility for the safe and secure disposal of radioactive waste. The process to find a suitable GDF site requires a community to give its clear consent.
A GDF is a highly engineered facility constructed deep underground and will consist of a series of vaults and tunnels where radioactive waste can be disposed of safely, securely and permanently.
Steve Reece, Head of Siting at Radioactive Waste Management, said:
Radioactive Waste Management is in early discussions with Lincolnshire County Council, to see if they are interested in joining a local Working Group. Absolutely no decisions have been taken at this stage.
Two areas in Cumbria have already started this process by forming Working Groups and this could be an important further step for a significant national infrastructure project to find a location for a GDF – that’s an underground facility designed to safely and securely dispose of the UK’s higher activity radioactive waste.
This is an enormous infrastructure project, worth billions of pounds – one that would bring thousands of jobs for multiple generations as well as the significant investment needed for supporting infrastructure in the area where a GDF is built.
A GDF would be built up to 1,000 metres in the rock deep underground and it would contain the waste safely and isolate it over the very long term, until the radioactivity naturally decays and no longer poses a hazard to people or the environment.
In our discussions with Lincolnshire County Council the former Theddlethorpe gas terminal has been identified as a possible site of interest, and in particular the geology deep below the seabed, a few miles off the coast, as one potential location. We would like to engage with the local community to hear their thoughts and views. And we recognise that there could be other potential locations for surface facilities that could lead out to the same geology deep beneath the seabed.
At this very early stage of the process, we’re explaining the Working With Communities approach (the government’s policy) and answering the council’s questions so that they can see how the siting process could work.
The opportunity remains open for individuals and organisations in England and Wales to engage in discussions with RWM - without any commitment.
The process to find a suitable GDF site ultimately requires a community to give clear consent through a process called a Test of Public Support - this project is totally unique in that the local community will have the final say.
Working Groups, which will engage with local people, will be announced as they are formed. Two GDF Working Groups have already been formed in Cumbria.
We know people have lots of questions about GDF and the siting process, and as part of our work with communities, we have set up a dedicated enquiry service. You can either email your questions to rwmfeedback@nda.gov.uk or call 0300 369 0000: the lines for this service are open Monday to Friday, 9am till 5pm. Please do get in touch – we want to hear from you.
Update from Radio Broadcast on 30 July 2021 (Full transcript available on request)
When did you start?
- I wanted to put the record straight about who had talked to who about a GDF in Lincolnshire. I’ve been the common link in the various conversations that have taken place.
- To be clear, it’s our role as the developer, as recognised in Government policy, that’s been driving this conversation, they are very much initiated by us.
- The policy was published late 2018, that’s the Working With Communities Policy.
- We attended a local government conference in mid-2019 and held the typical informal discussions/ conversations that you have at conferences as we had a stand there. I recall that Craig Leland came to speak to us from ELDC and he advised us that if we wanted to take discussions forward, we should be speaking to LCC.
- So we took that advice. We approached LCC in 2020, just when the pandemic was taking hold, held very early-stage exploratory talks with LCC, about how the siting process works, about what the benefits could be for the area, what it would mean if we were to set up a Working Group.
- These discussions were predominantly with LCC officers, there was one recent occasion where Craig joined us, listened to the briefing we were giving.
- We’ve only met the leader of LCC on one occasion, earlier this month when we presented project to the Leader and the Executive.
- Want to repeat and stress that these were initial discussions – very, very early-stage discussions, and we’ve been driving them.
- The policy encourages us to do so and allows for these to take place in confidence because, at this stage, no decisions have been taken by anybody about moving forward into a WG.
So it’s council officers you were talking to not leadership of the council? Who made the initial approach, I understand you have to be invited to look at these proposals?
- Heard that a couple of times. The Government policy we work to gives us our remit which is that we are encouraged to engage with people, as we do every day - it’s what we do as part of our normal work, we talk to people all around country. It could local authorities, landowners, private businesses – to raise awareness of the GDF programme for UK radioactive waste. It’s very much RWM being proactive and reaching out at conferences, etc, and on advice of leader of ELDC, reaching out to LCC.
Theddlethorpe suitable?
- It’s very, very early stages, no decisions even taken yet about whether we should be forming a Working Group.
- What we do know is that BGS survey undertook an exercise looking at geology of the country and identified areas where there may be potentially suitable geology. GDF relies very much on the host geology. What we do know is that the geology in that area, coincidentally, is very similar to geology selected for the French programme – other countries, Sweden, Finland, Canada, France, are further advanced – so we think the geology may be prove to be potentially suitable and that’s where we are in terms of the conversation.
Safety?
- Safety and security are really important, at very top of our issues, it’s first and foremost in our minds.
- Facility like this will be operational for over 100 years, needs to be safe during construction and operation phase. And because of the nature of the material, it needs to be safe for very long term, including post-closure.
- We need to produce a safety case and present to UK regulators, and we will not get permission to go forward with this project unless we demonstrate absolute safety both operationally and for the long term.
- I would just add, the Working With Communities policy is key. As well the technical aspects, this is equally if not more so about engaging with the community, we’ve heard talk of a local referendum in the news coverage - the actual term is test of public support.
- To be absolutely clear, if we were to move forward, the ultimate say on whether a facility can be implemented rests with the local community.
- This is a unique project – there are the normal levels of conversation as with any major infrastructure project, but there is an ultimate test of support that rests with local community.