Cumbria County Council has agreed to make a without commitment 'expression of interest' in the formal Government process to find a location for a deep geological nuclear waste repository in the UK.
The decision, taken at a Cabinet meeting in Workington today (December 9), allows the county council to discuss the best solution with the Government for disposing of higher level radioactive waste, but does not involve any commitment that Cumbria will eventually host an underground repository.
The expression of interest covers Copeland, where an expression of interest has already been submitted by Copeland Borough Council. The decision made by cabinet today also gives the flexibility for the county council's expression of interest to extend to all of west Cumbria if Allerdale Borough Council decides to make its own expression of interest.
The decision allows the county council to take full part in the debate on whether West Cumbria would be a suitable location for a repository as well as working with other stakeholders in reaching a decision. Cumbria County Council has made the expression of interest because the management and movement of waste has major implications for the whole of Cumbria as 70% of the country’s higher level nuclear waste is already stored at Sellafield and the area is at the heart of Britain’s nuclear industry.
The decision follows a ‘soundings’ process carried out by the county council, where the views of local partners and key stakeholders have been canvassed on whether the county council should express an interest. That soundings process revealed widespread support for the county council to express an interest in the programme (23 out of 35 town and parish councils supported a county council expression of interest).
Cllr Tim Knowles, Cumbria County Council's cabinet member responsible for nuclear issues, said:
"Today's decision doesn't involve any commitments but it does formally bring Cumbria County Council to the table. It ensures that any decision on whether Cumbria is the right place for a deep geological repository will take on board the views of the democratic body representing everyone in Cumbria.
"We're a long way from deciding whether Cumbria is the right place to store nuclear waste deep underground and there's a huge amount of detail still required on what community support packages are acceptable, long-term environmental safety and potential site locations. But we can now start planning the best way to engage local people to make sure their views are taken on board. This has to be a bottom-up process based on volunteerism.
"We have the right to withdraw from the siting process at any time before a firm decision is made and this will be a long, meticulous process. Nobody is rushing into anything, but it is perfectly right for the county council to decide that it needs to be talking to both Government and local people on the best long-term solution for an issue that clearly needs to be addressed."
The current provisional timeframe laid out by the Government is to identify two candidate sites by April 2012, investigate sites between 2014-2015, announce the preferred site by 2025, put the first nuclear waste in by 2040, put the first spent nuclear fuel in by 2075 and close the repository by 2128.