Electricity News

Monday 11 August 2008

The government says underground waste storage like this facility in Sweden is the "realistic" approach for nuclear waste disposal

As the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority launched a fresh consultation last week on how best to communicate with the public on a new radioactive waste disposal site, it was been told it does not have to publish a draft report on possible locations.

The NDA was asked for an earlier, draft version of the 2006 report "Potential Areas of Future Geosphere Research" , which identified geological factors requiring research regarding the possibility of locating an underground disposal facility for nuclear waste.

But despite agreeing that releasing the report could have helped improve public confidence in the "thoroughness" of the NDA's work preparing for a nuclear waste disposal facility, the Information Commissioner refused a requested to release the document under the Environmental Information Regulations.

The government issued a white paper earlier this summer stating that geological disposal was the "realistic" option for Britain's radioactive waste - having considered alternatives like dumping it at sea, at the ice caps, or even blasting it into space.

Consultation

The NDA last week published two consultation documents on how to communicate with the public regarding its plans for the geological storage facility, and also on the process for carrying out strategic environmental assessments on any potential storage sites put forward.

Both consultations close on November 30, and should result in a new communications strategy for the NDA on the geological disposal, as well as a strategy on sustainability appraisals and environmental assessments for a disposal facility.

Friday saw the Information Commissioner telling the NDA it was right to withhold from publication a 2004 draft of the report on geological research behind possible sites for a geological storage facility for Britain's nuclear waste.

The decision came in response to a request under the Environmental Information Regulations to release the draft report.

Despite agreeing that releasing the document would "increase public confidence in the quality of scientific research and consideration on this issue" - the Commissioner Gerrard Tracey refused to order its publication, saying that the document had not been the final "settled" view of the NDA.

"Dated"

The document represented internal staff communications, Mr Tracey said, and also a "dated" view of the issues, since it was not the final report.

Commenting on his judgement, the Commissioner conceded that "if those who were compiling such research were aware of the fact that it was possible that their draft reports or early research would be disclosed in the future, this may in fact improve the level of argument or debate contained in the drafts because the authors would know that their initial research may be disclosed at some point and therefore open to public scrutiny."

However, the Commissioner concluded that the draft report had effectively been a personal view of the civil servant drawing it up, rather than the established view of the Authority itself, which was subsequently published in 2006 as the report "Potential Areas of Future Geosphere Research".

Although the Commissioner said he was not usually of the opinion that civil servants would be easily deterred from offering "candid opinion" on subjects by it publication.

But under the special circumstances concerning the geological disposal project, "the Commissioner accepts that if this particular draft report was disclosed it is reasonable to argue that authors of such reports in the future may be less willing to be equally candid when compiling similar studies because of concerns that their comments may be placed in the public domain."

As a result, disclosure of such a report might mean researchers in future being "less willing to be open and honest" in forming future policy in controversial areas.

A full copy of the decision notice is available on the Information Commission website

• In a separate matter, the Health and Safety Executive has published a new step-by-step guide to applying or a nuclear site licence for a nuclear power station. Aimed at organisations aiming to build new nuclear power stations, the guide sets out what they must do to prepare for a site licence.