The vitrification plant at Sellafield, which came into operation in 1991 with two vitrification lines, encapsulates the liquid high level radioactive waste held in storage tanks at Sellafield into glass blocks. This is a more stable form of storage and reduces the risk of leakages and subsequent radioactive contamination of the environment.
As a result of technical problems with the vitrification plant, throughput performance over the years has been well below that expected. One could say the same about BNFL. However, my Department understands from the relevant UK Government department and the UK health and safety executive that improvements have been made to the original two vitrification lines and that because of these improvements, throughput has increased steadily. A third vitrification line aimed at increasing vitrification capacity has recently gone into full operation.
As the House will be aware, British Nuclear Fuels Limited was given a direction in January 2001 by the UK health and safety executive's nuclear installations inspectorate to reduce, by way of vitrification, the amount of liquid waste in the storage tanks to a small buffer stock volume by July 2015. My Department understands that BNFL continues to comply with this direction and is on track to meet the 2015 deadline. The Radiological Protection Institute of Ireland has been asked to maintain contact with the UK's nuclear installations inspectorate with a view to monitoring progress in regard to the deadline.
The RPII and the Government are concerned about the continuing storage of this highly active waste in liquid form in tanks at Sellafield and have been pressing, and will continue to press, the UK authorities to accelerate the rate of vitrification. This liquid waste arises from the reprocessing operations at Sellafield. As such, the need for vitrification will ultimately cease when the production of the liquid waste also ceases. The Government will, therefore, continue to use available avenues, both diplomatic and legal, to bring about an end to reprocessing operations at Sellafield, an issue on which all sides of the House are in agreement.