MINISTRY OF DEFENCE
058/97 March 4, 1998
STORAGE OPTIONS FOR DECOMMISSIONED NUCLEAR SUBMARINES
The Ministry of Defence is investigating alternative options to
storage afloat for the safe storage of decommissioned submarines.
In answer to a Parliamentary Question from Barry Gardiner MP (Brent
North), George Robertson, Secretary of State for Defence, said;
"Afloat storage is not time limited and is safe. However, space at
Devonport Naval Base and at Rosyth Royal Dockyard is finite and is
expected to reach its capacity some years before any Deep Waste
Repository may become available. As a result, my Department is now
investigating other options, including interim land storage and other
sites for storage afloat. Safety to the public and to the environment
will be of paramount importance when considering the way forward."
NOTES TO EDITORS
- Decommissioned nuclear submarines are currently stored at
Devonport Naval Base and Rosyth Royal Dockyard. The submarines are
regularly maintained and inspected, and can be stored indefinitely
without risk. MOD policy remains that Intermediate Level Waste (ILW)
will be disposed of in the long term in a Deep Waste Repository (DWR)
which is planned to be built in the next century. The MOD is looking
at other options, including interim land storage and other sites for
storage afloat until the DWR becomes available.
- Neither land nor afloat storage pose any threat to the
surrounding environment. When nuclear powered submarines are taken
out of service, their reactors are defuelled and any non-essential
equipment is removed. Used reactor cores are removed to Sellafield
for long-term storage. The remaining radioactivity is contained by
the reactor plant and the pressure hull. This robust shielding
ensures that the external radiation level is so small that it is not
measurable.
- Interim land storage would involve cutting out the entire
reactor compartment and storing it. The rest of the submarine would
be cut up and recycled. The cut out reactor compartments would take
up much less space than the complete submarines, and there would be
no leakage of radioactivity. Sites would be protected against
unauthorised access.
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