Sludge Retrievals Begin at Sellafield?s Legacy Fuel Ponds

Trial sludge retrievals have begun at Sellafield’s legacy fuel ponds, with retrievals expected to continue “in earnest” in April, the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority announced yesterday. The heavy radioactive sludge has been sitting for decades in the open-air unlined ponds, and in a major step forward two treatment facilities have been commissioned at the site. In recent trials the material was pumped from the First Generation Magnox Storage Pond via a pipe bridge to the Sludge Packing Plant for interim storage. “This is a significant step forward in the clean-up of Sellafield’s legacy facilities–the NDA’s number one priority task. Our relentless focus on tackling Sellafield’s legacy facilities–and our prioritization of funding for the task–is starting to bear fruit,” NDA Sellafield Program Director Pete Lutwyche said in a statement. “We are now seeing the removal of decades-old material from Sellafield’s legacy ponds on a daily basis, significantly reducing the risk at these historic facilities.”