Government says it could put nuclear waste dump under national parks. The British government has refused to rule out placing an underground nuclear waste facility beneath protected areas such as national parks and areas of outstanding natural beauty. In response to a written question last week, Lord Henley, parliamentary under-secretary for business, energy and industrial strategy, said the government is “not excluding” developing the proposed storage site at protected areas, though it should only be consented in such areas “in exceptional circumstances and where it would be in the public interest to do so.” These plants, along with a few others in the pipeline, mean that the UK could have 27.3 million tbq of radioactive waste by 2200, more than 5x as much as it would have without the new nuclear fleet, according to figures from Radioactive Waste Management. It comes as the UK nuclear industry is also grappling with spiralling decommissioning costs, with the head of the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority this week suggesting leaving behind ‘industrial clutter in a few places’ as a way of saving money – and Government has agreed, issuing a consultation on lowering standards of decommissioning.
Unearthed 9th May 2018 read more »
