Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask His Majesty's Government why they have decided to dispose of 140 tonnes of civil plutonium stored at Sellafield instead of repurposing it for new energy generation.

I refer my noble Friend to the answer given by my noble Friend Lord Hunt of Kings Heath on 8th May 2025 to Question HL6800.

The Government took the decision to immobilise the UK’s civil separated plutonium inventory based on strategic, economic, technical and safety and security considerations. Immobilisation will put the material into a form which both reduces the long-term safety and security burden during storage and ensures it is suitable for disposal in a Geological Disposal Facility (GDF). 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. Furthermore, all current and planned UK reactors use uranium-based fuels.