Environment Agency
Latest news
The Environment Agency has:
- published its annual scrutiny report about Radioactive Waste Management (RWM) Ltd
- produced a short animation explaining how it is involved in the process to develop a geological disposal facility - see the section Public and stakeholder engagement
- published a blog post about regulating a geological disposal facility
- published a blog post on regulating radioactive waste - what we do and why
Geological disposal means permanently disposing of the most hazardous types of radioactive waste in a specially designed facility between 200 and 1,000 metres underground. Harmful quantities of radioactivity will be prevented from reaching the surface by a number of barriers. These include the:
- design of the facility sealed vaults and tunnels deep underground
- design of the containers (packaging) for the waste secure, engineered containers of metal or concrete
- type of surrounding rock
The depth of the facility will protect the radioactive waste from the effects of:
- future climate change
- human activities
The UK government has decided that geological disposal is the best available approach for higher activity radioactive waste. This is based on independent advice. Find out more about the UK governments policy on geological disposal.
Nuclear Waste Services is responsible for developing a geological disposal facility (GDF). A site will be selected in partnership with willing communities. Formal engagement with potential host communities has started. Find out more about Nuclear Waste Services and information on geological disposal.
Environment Agencys role in geological disposal
The Environment Agency regulates the disposal of radioactive waste from:
- nuclear licensed sites for example, those carrying out activities such as nuclear power generation, nuclear fuel manufacturing and reprocessing or radioactive waste processing and disposal
- other premises that use radioactive substances for example, hospitals and universities
Disposal includes:
- discharges into the air, surface water and groundwater
- disposals by transfer to other sites
- disposal to land including geological disposal
The Environment Agency is responsible for making sure that the developer of a GDF meets the high standards it has set to protect people and the environment. This includes during the design, development, operation and closure of the facility.
The Environment Agency considers that the geological disposal of long-lived radioactive waste can provide a safe and sustainable solution. It supports the implementation of geological disposal because radioactive waste stored at the surface would need to be managed for several hundred thousand years.
The Environment Agency will not be involved in the decisions to select a potential site for a GDF. Its regulatory role will start after a site (or sites) has been selected for further investigation. But, during site selection, the Environment Agency will be available to support discussions with communities, local authorities and others considering hosting a GDF. It will provide information and advice on environmental protection. It will also explain how its work will help protect people and the environment now and in the future during the development, operation and closure of a GDF.
Joint regulation of Nuclear Waste Services
The Environment Agency will regulate a GDF jointly with the Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR). The ONR is responsible for regulating:
- safety at nuclear licensed sites
- radioactive material transport safety
- nuclear security
- civil nuclear operators safeguards performance
By working together, the two regulators will make sure that the developer of a GDF meet the required high standards for:
- environmental protection
- safety and security
- waste management
- radioactive waste transportation
Before regulation starts, the Environment Agency and ONR are scrutinising Nuclear Waste Services work. They are doing this in the early stages of implementing geological disposal so Nuclear Waste Services can understand what it needs to do to:
- provide advice to waste producers so waste packaged at sites is suitable for disposal
- prepare applications for the environmental permit and nuclear site licence they will need
In addition, the regulators have assessed the 2016 generic disposal system safety case, which was prepared by Radioactive Waste Management (RWM), the predecessor organisation to Nuclear Waste Services. This aims to give confidence that a GDF can be implemented safely in the UK. It describes and assesses the safety and environmental impacts associated with geological disposal of radioactive waste.
The Environment Agency and ONR provide more information about their joint scrutiny work through regular reports such as their annual scrutiny reports and regulatory scrutiny reports. These provide summaries of work carried out under the joint scrutiny programme.
Regulating each stage of development
Regulation will start when the developer wants to begin surface-based site investigations using boreholes.
A GDF will need to be regulated for many decades - possibly for more than a hundred years. After a GDF has closed, regulatory control will only end when the operator has met requirements to protect people and the environment in the long term.
The Environment Agency will regulate the development of a GDF using staged regulation. The purpose of staged regulation is to make sure that the facility is developed in ways that properly protect people and the environment and do not undermine the long-term performance of the GDF.
The developer will need Environment Agency approval before they can start each of these development stages:
- surface-based site investigation using boreholes
- underground investigation
- building the infrastructure for the disposal facility
- operating the facility - disposing of radioactive waste
- closing the facility
Throughout each stage the Environment Agency will inspect and check the operator has complied with the environmental permit granted. They will take any enforcement action needed if they identify non-compliances.
The Environment Agency will regularly review the environmental permit to make sure it remains appropriate.
Surface-based site investigation
A developer will need to apply for an environmental permit when they want to drill boreholes, for example to find out about the geology and hydrogeology at a proposed location for the GDF. At this stage the Environment Agency would expect the developer to provide information about how they will:
- minimise any environmental damage that could be caused by borehole drilling
- remediate the site after drilling
The Environment Agency would also expect the developer to provide an initial site evaluation with information about:
- the feasibility of building a GDF at the potential site
- whether the