Sizewell A Nuclear Site, owned by the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority, has begun defuelling with the first spent fuel flask since it ceased generating on 31 December 2006 being dispatched to Sellafield.

This is the start of a key phase in the site’s decommissioning plan and its eventual completion, planned for 2012, will represent a huge milestone for the site. The flask dispatch programme will continue for the next three years until all the fuel, which is currently stored safely in Sizewell’s twin reactors, has been shipped to Sellafield for processing.

Paul Wilkinson, Sizewell A Site Director said:

“We are very pleased to have started defuelling. Our fuel accounts for around 99% of the total radioactivity at Sizewell A so this is a big step towards removing the site’s most significant hazard.”

Sara Johnston, NDA Programme Director for Magnox, added:

“This is a significant milestone for the site and a major step forward in the programme to clean-up the UK’s old nuclear sites.”

Defuelling was expected to commence following the end of generation on 31 December 2006, however, challenges presented at the Sellafield processing plant have resulted in fewer flasks being available. Generating sites are given priority which is why Sizewell’s defuelling has been delayed.

Since shutdown, a programme of retraining and reskilling has enabled the workforce to carry out small scale decommissioning projects. Projects completed so far include the removal of pipebridges, which previously connected the boilers to the turbines, and also the removal of redundant pond equipment.