Risk and Hazard Reduction and Waste Management Working Group Summary Report to West Cumbria Site Stakeholder Group Meeting – 20th March 2015

Below is a summary report for the Risk and Hazard Reduction and Waste Management Working Groupmeeting on 20th March 2015.

Key Items Discussed:

Agenda Item 1: Welcome and Introductions

  • The chair welcomed all to the meeting and led introductions

Agenda Item 2: Review of Minutes / Actions from Previous Meeting

  • The meeting had requested at the last meeting a more detailed explanation as to what constituted the local labour area. The secretary advised this was generically West Cumbria.

Agenda Item 3: First Generation Magnox Storage Pond Update

  • Martin Leafe from the First Generation Magnox Storage Pond provided an brief history of the FGMSP programme to the meeting.
  • Mr Leafe explained that significant steps had been made in the preparation to export fuel. A mock up facility has been built at an Integrated Test Facility (ITF) in Liverpool to simulate the export process. Fuel skips have been cleaned of sludge and the 60te crane has been refurbished.
  • The first radioactive sludge was moved from the FGMSP pond to the specially built Sludge Storage Plant (SPP1). This was a key milestone in the task of removing sludge from the facility.
  • The introduction of special measures and the decommissioning mindset has accelerated risk and hazard reduction and allowed the programme to focus on the tasks.
  • Mr Leafe advised that great progress has been made.

Agenda Item 4: Ponds Progress Video

  • Mr Wareing explained to the group that there had been major achievements in the operational lead projects within the ponds facilities.
  • Genuine progress has been made in waste conversions.
  • The Pile Fuel Storage Pond (PFSP) has made excellent progress and has been a marked acceleration in waste retrievals.
  • FGMSP has had some slippages on the programme and is going to take longer and cost more than originally anticipated.
  • The introduction of the Decommissioning Mindset ensures a flexible approach and shows the desire to make progress.
  • 91 people were trained
  • The aims of the next 5 years were explained as the following;
  1. PFSP to remove all or most of the materials within the pond and be in a postion to start dewatering.
  2. FGMSP will commence bulk retrievals, start work on the wet bays and begin to clear the pond

Agenda Item 5: NDA Update

  • Mr McKinney advised the group that the NDA strategy was updated every 5 years and the next version was due for renewal by the end of March 2016.
  • The NDA is keen to engage with the group to gain feedback before the consultation phase. The driving themes would stay the same but some of the critical enablers would be expanded in version 2.

Agenda Item 6: Agree Agenda Items for Next Meeting

  • No formal requests were made for agenda items, however after conversations at the meeting surrounding the NDA strategy and Sellafield strategy in AOB it was agreed that these could be possible future agenda items.

Agenda Item 7: Actions/AOB

  • Mr Parry discussed stage B of the Sellafield Strategy and defined the key tasks and the timeline for delivering the programme. He advised he would like to engage the working group as part of the assessment process and would be keen to return to engage the meeting over the work done to date and to get thoughts and input.

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