Asked by: Lord Kempsell (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask His Majesty's Government why they have decided to immobilise and dispose of 140 tonnes of civil plutonium stored at Sellafield rather than repurposing the material for energy generation, selling it, or putting it to an alternative use, such as in medical or scientific research.
Answered by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Implementing a long-term solution for plutonium is essential to dealing with the UK’s nuclear legacy and leaving the environment safer for future generations.
The material in its current form presents a significant and costly burden. DESNZ and NDA has considered re-use options and found that immobilisation is more likely to put the material into a safe, stable and disposable form soonest and with greatest delivery confidence.
All current and planned UK reactors use uranium fuel. We will continue to take wider strategic factors and technologies into account in making the final investment decision.