News from the SSG – May 2023
Summary
Magnox Ltd, based in Berkeley, are responsible for decommissioning the old Magnox nuclear power stations, including the local Berkeley and Oldbury stations. This brief has been extended by the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) to include Sellafield and Dounreay, and the Advanced Gas Cooled Reactors (AGRs) which will be closing down over the next 10 years.
News from Berkeley & Oldbury Site Stakeholders Group
Magnox Ltd, based in Berkeley, are responsible for decommissioning the old Magnox nuclear power stations, including the local Berkeley and Oldbury stations. This brief has been extended by the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) to include Sellafield and Dounreay, and the Advanced Gas Cooled Reactors (AGRs) which will be closing down over the next 10 years. It is probable that all nuclear establishments will also come under the same umbrella company. As the company will have a much-increased portfolio, a rebranding project is currently being undertaken
Berkeley & Oldbury Site Stakeholder Group
Magnox have formed Site Stakeholder Groups (SSGs) for each site. These hold quarterly meetings outlining decommissioning progress and regulatory reports. I attend the Berkeley & Oldbury SSG meetings as representative for Stinchcombe Parish Council.
Details of SSG activities can be found at https://magnoxstakeholdergroups.com/ . In future the minutes of the SSG meetings will be added to this website
SSG Meeting on 11th May 2023
The meetings do not only discuss decommissioning, but also wider issues as in the examples below.
Proposed redevelopment of silt lagoon
One of the silt lagoons at Oldbury is now under consideration for change of use. When the station was running is was required to settle silt out of the water to be used for cooling. The most likely outcome is a change to a wetlands reserve for birds.
New nuclear build
The government is in the process of setting up a new flagship body, Great British Nuclear (GBN), to enable nuclear projects and support the UK’s nuclear industry. It is envisaged that GBN will help projects through every stage of the development process and develop “a resilient pipeline” of new builds.
New large scale nuclear power stations are either under construction (Hinkley Point C, 3.2 GW) or planned (Sizewell C) by client EDF. More may be built, but also under consideration is the development of small modular reactors (SMRs), typically with capacity up to 500 MW per unit. The main components will be factory built and assembled on site. This will reduce the construction period and facilitate high quality workmanship under factory conditions.
GBN are currently reviewing six designs for SMRs, including by Rolls Royce https://www.rolls-royce-smr.com/ and a company supported by Bill Gates https://www.terrapower.com/ . SMRs are pressurised water reactors (PWRs), in line with most new nuclear power stations. The Rolls Royce SMR derives from established technology used in nuclear submarines.
It is probable that Oldbury will be selected for development of a new SMR. This should be largely welcomed in the local area for the job opportunities and involvement of local industries.
Chris Davies