Independent Nuclear Consultants

Some radioactive wastes from the reprocessing of spent nuclear fuel owned by foreign utility companies are planned to be disposed in the UK, under commercial waste substitution agreements. Waste substitution involves swapping foreign-owned intermediate level waste (ILW) for smaller volumes of British-owned high level waste (HLW) containing broadly equivalent amounts of radioactivity. The British HLW would be sent abroad for disposal, retaining the foreign ILW for eventual disposal in the UK. This submission to the British Government's Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) examines the environmental and economic arguments for waste substitution and compares them with the Government's wider national waste management strategy and economic policy. Download Briefing Now