Responsible and safe storage
Before Sizewell C can begin construction, it needs to demonstrate to the environmental and safety regulators that the volume of waste has been minimised, and that it will be managed safely.
We have detailed plans for the management and storage of nuclear fuel, both before and after it is used, and for any byproducts or waste that we generate.
Storing spent fuel safely
Our spent fuel will be packaged in concrete casks in an interim storage facility on the Sizewell C site. The casks use shielding which will reduce the radiation to a level that poses no risk to the workforce, public or the environment.
The shielding is so effective that it is safe to touch the outside of the casks.
The casks can be stored on our site or moved to a Geological Disposal Facility. An interim storage facility with a hundred-year licence is already used for waste and spent fuel at Sizewell B.
Join Richard Parlone, Head of Radiological Protection at Sizewell B, in this video from our dry fuel store as he explains how spent fuel is managed and stored.
Is spent fuel the same as nuclear waste?
Radioactive waste and spent fuel are some of the byproducts created when electricity is generated in nuclear power stations.
Not all nuclear waste is spent fuel though. Over 90% of the waste produced from nuclear power stations is classified as low or intermediate-level waste. That includes things like scrap metal, paper, plastics and clothing, and most of it can be processed at the UK's low-level waste facility in Drigg, Cumbria.
Used or spent fuel is classified as high-level waste. All of our high-level waste will be stored securely on our site and will not pose any risk to our workers, the public or the environment.
Click the link below for more information on how we store spent fuel.
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Contact Sizewell C
- Call: FREEPHONE 0800 197 6102 (Weekdays: 9am - 5pm)
- Write: FREEPOST SZC CONSULTATION (No stamp or further address required)
- Visit: Sizewell C Information Office, 48-50 High Street, Leiston IP16 4EW (open for visits without appointment 9.30am – 5pm weekdays only, closed lunchtimes 12:30pm – 1.30pm)
- For general queries, email: info@sizewellc.co.uk
- For media queries, email: media@edfenergy.com