Debate on a motion to take note (Lords) of the Draft National Policy Statement for Geological Disposal Infrastructure - Sep 6
Friday, 7 September 2018 10:08
Lord Teverson (LD):...I question whether the technology and the
science in this area are moving on to such an extent that we need
to invest in this type of facility, or certainly on the scale that
is talked about. A Canadian company is looking at using high-level
nuclear waste in small modular reactors for further
energy generation. There is also the science of transmutation,
where a particle accelerator is used to bombard with neutrons some
of this higher-activity waste and break...Request free trial
(LD):...I question whether the technology and
the science in this area are moving on to such an extent that we
need to invest in this type of facility, or certainly on the scale
that is talked about. A Canadian company is looking at using
high-level nuclear waste in small
modular reactors for further energy generation. There
is also the science of transmutation, where a particle accelerator
is used to bombard with neutrons some of this higher-activity waste
and break it down into other elements that have much shorter
radioactive lives. This science is bound to move on at some pace.
Nuclear fusion can also use some of these by-products, which we
hope will come on stream with the ITER project in 10, 20 or perhaps
30 years...
(Lab):...I
agree that the Government are appreciative of these issues and are
moving cautiously forward. However, the urgency of the long-term
answer to disposal is increasing. Not only is the present waste
becoming increasingly precarious and expensive in its temporary
containment, but future new build and new policy initiatives, such
as small
modular reactors, make the present predicament
unjustifiably risky. The Government need to define the size of the
waste and the site capacity for generations ahead...
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