Nuclear Waste Disposal

There are three levels of waste, each is produced, handled and disposed of in different ways:

High-level Radioactive Waste

What it is? Spent fuel rods from the reactor and unwanted, highly radioactive material separated from the spent fuel rods.

How do we get rid? The spent fuel rods are taken from the reactor and stored in cooling ponds with in the power station to allow most of the short-term radioactivity to die away. It is then transported to a processing plant. Here it is encased in steel containers and kept under water.

The cladding is eventually removed and the fuel rods are separated into unused uranium and plutonium and highly radioactive waste.

The uranium and plutonium is kept in sealed container for possible future use.

The waste is converted into powder, fused into glass blocks, sealed in air-cooled containers for around 50 years before being stored deep underground in a stable rock formation.

Time scale? Up to a year in the cooling ponds. Radioactive waste can remain at dangerous levels for thousands of years.

Intermediate-level Radioactive Waste

What it is? Fuel element cladding, sludge from treatment processes, contaminated equipment, hospital radioisotopes and containers of radioactive materials.

How do we get rid? Sealed in steel drums that are encased in concrete and stored in buildings with reinforced concrete. Also stored deep underground in a suitable location that has a stable rock formation and low water flow.

Time scale? Thousands of years.

Low-level Radioactive Waste

What is it? Worn-out laboratory equipment, used protective clothing, wrapping material and cooling pond water.

How do we get rid? Sealed in metal drums and buried deep underground in a supervised repository. Treated cooling pond water is released into the environment.

Time scale? A few months.