Decommissioning experience in the U.K

The decommissioning of nuclear power plants and fuel cycle centers in the United Kingdom has become an emotive subject and has, along with waste management, been blamed for the apparent demise of the nuclear power industry. During the early eighties, in the United Kingdom, it was becoming obvious that some of the older defence facilities could not be left in their existing condition for much longer. A program was drawn up and discussions held with the responsible authorities. At about the same time, consideration was also being given to the dismantling of the nuclear facilities that were or had been used as part of the programme of nuclear fuel cycle services to the civil nuclear programme in United Kingdom. As a consequence of these activities, a comprehensive decommissioning policy and programme for the defence related and fuel cycle centers had been drawn up. In addition to this, the Atomic Energy Authority began planning a decommissioning programme on the Windscale Advanced Gas Cooled Reactor after its shut down in 1981. 4 refs