Nuclear generation: the future is Mox

Reprocessing spent plutonium into mixed oxide fuel would give the UK a ready supply of fuel for new-build nuclear and do much to resolve our nuclear waste problem, says Robert Davies.

With a final investment decision for EDF Energy’s Hinkley Point C project expected before the end of year, the UK’s nuclear renaissance is under way in earnest. The new UK government was elected last May on a manifesto of bringing about “a significant expansion of new nuclear”, and EDF Energy, Horizon and NuGen (the three companies lined-up to build new nuclear power plants in the UK) have 16GW of new capacity planned between them. This is a crucial component in meeting the UK’s need for reliable, low carbon, cost-effective electricity.

New build should not be viewed in isolation from the UK’s nuclear journey to date, but should seek to capitalise on the UK’s existing expertise and resources. One such resource is the more than 120 tonne stockpile of plutonium currently stored at Sellafield. The stockpile costs around £80 million a year to store, requiring careful management to avoid it becoming a security and proliferation risk. The Department of Energy and Climate Change is looking for a long-term solution, the key question facing it is which?

Treating the stockpile as waste for immobilisation and disposal could be an option, but a site for a geological disposal facility has yet to be identified and much of the technology required is still at the laboratory stage. A far more beneficial option is to recycle the fuel for new-build reactors.

This could transform a potential liability into a valuable commodity, generating income, contributing to the UK’s climate change and energy security goals, and stimulating jobs and growth. A 2011 study by the Smith School for Enterprise and the Environment at the University of Oxford found recycling to be better value to the taxpayer than continued storage and eventual disposal.

Areva Convert is our proposal to deal with the whole plutonium stockpile in a way that delivers for the UK. We propose to work alongside UK companies to build a facility at Sellafield that will turn at least 95 per cent of the plutonium into mixed oxide (Mox) fuel and treat the remaining material for final safe storage.

Our recycling technology is commercially available now and the only solution for plutonium reuse that has been implemented at an industrial scale.

It has a 40-year track record of successful operation. For example in France, the plutonium recovered from used nuclear fuel is shipped to Areva’s Melox facility where it is converted into Mox fuel for use in reactors worldwide. The facility has an average annual production of 140 tonnes of Mox fuel.

The new-build reactors planned for the UK can all use Mox fuel, this means the Mox fuel produced from the Sellafield stockpile could provide enough power for 1.5 million UK homes for 60 years. This would save around 193 million tonnes of carbon dioxide to contribute to the UK’s climate change goals and require around 20,000 tonnes less natural uranium, increasing the UK’s energy independe nce.

A recycling facility would be a significant local economic stimulus. It would support more than 2,000 jobs during construction, many of which would be highly skilled and transferable to other major industrial projects. One thousand full-time employees would be required to support operations and maintenance throughout the facility’s lifetime.

A new facility would build on the local skills base, help sustain the Sellafield site and create hundreds more indirect jobs in manufacturing, engineering and a host of support sectors. Eighty per cent of the facility’s purchase costs would stay in the UK.

A further benefit to UK companies would be the opportunity to integrate into Areva’s global supply chain. Twenty UK firms are already part of it, while twice as many more have received initial approval to join.

Areva is actively engaging with UK suppliers to further build this partnership base. Around 50 UK and French companies attended our first UK nuclear decommissioning and waste management supplier event in June, jointly hosted with UK Trade & Investment. The event provided a platform for fostering new partnerships and equipping companies to maximise opportunities in the domestic and international markets.

Dealing with the UK’s plutonium stockpile will never be cost free. However, the economic and social benefits of recycling rather than disposal are undoubtedly compelling. The start of the new-build programme combined with the influence of the growing Northern Powerhouse offer an opportunity for government to make the most of the plutonium stockpile as part of a holistic nuclear strategy, creating jobs and growth. We may never have a better opportunity to take advantage of this resource.

Robert Davies, chief executive, Areva UK