Report: Sellafield could leak radioactive water until 2050s

In a report published on Wednesday, June 4, the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) warned that Sellafield, the UK’s largest nuclear site, could continue leaking radioactive water until the 2050s. The leak started in 2018 from the Magnox Swarf Storage Silo (MSSS) and releases enough water to fill an Olympic swimming pool every three years. According to the PAC report, it is unlikely to stop until the oldest section of the building has been emptied, something expected only in the 2050s. The report also criticised the slow decommissioning work at the site in Cumbria, with rising costs and persistent safety concerns. Although there are “signs of improvement”, PAC chairman Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown said Sellafield still presents “intolerable risks”. He added that the government should do more to hold those responsible for delays and missteps to account and protect “both the public purse and the public itself.”
Sellafield ceased operations in 2003 and, in addition to work cleaning up the site, now processes and stores nuclear waste from power plants around the UK. The government also plans to create an underground geological disposal facility (GDF) to permanently store nuclear waste. However, PAC stated that delays in building the structure, which is now not expected to be completed before the late 2050s, could increase costs for maintaining the Sellafield site.