Dounreay: management of exotic fuels and nuclear materials
Documents considering the future safe, secure, practical and cost effective management of nuclear fuels and materials at Dounreay.
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A number of different forms of nuclear fuels and materials are currently safely and securely stored on the Dounreay site. Some of these fuels and materials require enhanced site security arrangements. While these are already in place, they are expensive to maintain in the long term. The materials currently stored at Dounreay include unirradiated plutonium and high enriched uranium bearing fuels. For brevity, these are termed Dounreay “exotics”.
The Energy Act (2004) requires us to have a strategy to safely and securely manage exotics in the most practical and cost effective way. If these materials are retained at Dounreay new stores would be required to replace the current stores which are reaching the end of their design life. New facilities are either under construction or planned at Sellafield, and as such it is therefore a good time to consider management options for this material.
These documents refer to the future safe, secure, practical and cost effective management of these Dounreay materials.
After consulting on the credible option for Dounreay exotics in 2013, NDA developed preferred options.
NDA considers movement of exotics to Sellafield for long term management alongside the Sellafield fuels inventory is the preferred option.
Updates to this page
Last updated 10 May 2016 + show all updates
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Merged page to include preferred options and credible options papers
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First published.