Low Level Waste Repository

The final repository for low-level radioactive waste at Drigg site is located in the county of Cumbria on the west coast of England and is located close to the Sellafield site. Is operated by the British Nuclear Fuels plc (BNFL ). It is a near-surface repository in which the waste was previously stored in relatively simple concrete troughs of approximately 700 m long, 25 m wide and 8 m depth. In the late 1980s a new, improved safety storage method has been developed. It is based on the incorporation of standardized waste container (15 cubic meters ) in cavities, which are lined with concrete.

With the storage was started in 1959. The waste comes mainly from Sellafield, but also from other BNFL's activities and of CEGB ( Central Electricity Generating Board ), UKAEA (United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority ), MOD (Ministry of Defense), universities and industry. It is planned for some time to continue to use the repository site. For pre-treatment of the waste (eg by compaction ) and implementation of all future planning, the operating time can extend up to at least 2050. By 2050, the 750,000 m³ storage of low-level radioactive waste is planned.