Published at 15:47, Wednesday, 21 January 2009

RADIOACTIVE waste from the UK's only low-level site, near Drigg, is adding up to more money for Copeland.

Another £30,000 a year is to flow into the district, directly from the operation of the low-level repository in addition to the annual £1.5 million under an agreement with the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA).

It was confirmed to The Whitehaven News this week that the £30,000 is to be a separate sum of money to be shared for the benefit of the local community. A spokeswoman for LLWR said: “This is directly to the local community and very much in addition to the £1.5 million per annum. We recently sponsored the Young Firefighters scheme at Seascale and this is the sort of thing we would like to see get some of the benefits.”

Separately, a Copeland Community Fund has been set up to receive the annual £1.5 million and decide how best it should be spent throughout the area.

The same amount is to be paid out each year the repository continues to take material, probably up to 2070.

The fund has been launched with a contribution of £5 million with another £5 million soon to follow.

The funding is linked to Vault 9, a massive £20 million project now under construction but The Whitehaven News has also learned that three more vaults are planned over the long term, to store and dispose of the slightly radioactive waste It is possible that more community benefit packages will be negotiated when talks start over construction and planning approvals.

Meanwhile, one of the major concerns surrounding the repository is how it might be affected in years ahead by coastal erosion.

A huge safety case which will eventually cost millions of pounds is being put together with a view to allaying the Environment Agency’s concerns. “It is an issue for the public; there is worry over it but we are on the right track,” said the spokeswoman.

Dick Raaz, the LLWR boss, said: “We have this at the top of the list, we are treating it as a big deal, it is life or death for the site and so it is getting incredible attention. We believe coastal erosion is manageable.”

In a statement, LLWR says: “In about 1,000 years the coastline will be eroded to such an extent that it will reach the site. Current calculations indicate that impact on the public and the environment will be minimal. Only last week LLWR ran a workshop with experts from the UK and USA to review the work that has been done to date and to identify a work programme that will help us meet the Agency’s requirements.”

A convincing safety case – there is a 2011 deadline – will pave the way for Vault 9 to finally dispose of the waste rather than store it, which is a condition of the present planning permission.

Published by http://www.whitehavennews.co.uk