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Chair's Corner

By Joanne Fisher, Head of Lower Activity Waste Management, NDA

22nd July 2010

Having recently returned from having my baby girl, this was my first opportunity to see how the UK LLW Strategy Group has progressed over the past year. I can honestly say I am truly impressed. My special thanks go to Michael Calloway of NDA for taking the lead while I was away. By the way, I’m pleased to be back and mother & baby Lucy are doing just fine. 

This July meeting, our 10th meeting overall, discussed our progress in implementing LLW Strategy across the NDA estate and wider nuclear industry. As our site host for the meeting near the Bradwell Decommissioning Site, Magnox South presented a number of accomplishments and current acceleration status of their decommissioning efforts. A tour of Bradwell the previous day allowed the group membership to personally witness and observe the progress being made towards early care & maintenance of the site. 
 
At our meeting in Chelmsford on 22 July 2010, we reported on the status of the imminent review by Government of our final submission of the UK Nuclear Industry LLW Strategy. Other agenda topics included:
·        Regulator update and Planning considerations in LLW Management
·        Acceleration of Element 2 Strategy (ACCELS) programme;
·        UK Nuclear Industry LLW Management Plan initiatives and results.
 
Two members also briefed the group on 1) current status of the Exemption Order Revision;  2) issues related to the licensing and liability for the management of High Volume Very LLW; and 3) waste acceptance limits for plutonium-contaminated wastes . A significant portion of this meeting was specifically focused on feedback and discussions of several regulatory challenges and issues for the management of VLLW that require near-term actions for resolution. The maturity of the LLW Strategy Group after 2+ years of working together was apparent in the frank and open discussions on these topics.     
 
The implementation of our collective ideas, innovations, and initiatives will provide the opportunity for making significant improvements and providing value for money in LLW management. Future group meetings will continue to be centred on Site Licence Company (SLC) and waste producer progress in strategy implementation and opportunities for efficiency in LLW management. We will also strive to highlight important issues and develop approaches for early mitigation and resolution.   
 
I would like to personally thank the attendees for coming to our 10th group meeting.  I would also like to extend my appreciation to Magnox South for hosting the meeting and site tour.
 
If you have questions or would like further information on any aspect of our UK LLW Strategy Group, please don’t hesitate to contact me at (0)1925 802422 or Tim Hedahl at (0)1946 722214.