Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, for what reasons there has been a change to permitted levels of gaseous tritium discharges at former Magnox Nuclear Stations as a result of the operation of the waste encapsulation plants.

The Environment Agency (EA) has been discussing with Magnox Ltd its intention to treat intermediate level waste (ILW) at the Berkeley Site, and at Hinkley Point A, by encapsulating it in concrete boxes. This is to make the waste safe for long term storage, and enable its subsequent disposal.

The need to apply for increased tritium limits arises from the heat generated during the encapsulation process driving off some of the tritium within the waste. Magnox Ltd anticipates that this may increase discharges of gaseous tritium above the low limit specified in Berkeley’s current environmental permit. While Magnox plans to apply to the EA to change this limit, the EA has not yet received any application from Magnox to increase the limit for gaseous tritium for this purpose.

The EA will only change the permit limit if it is satisfied that this is necessary and that people and the environment remain properly protected.

The EA will continue to keep local stakeholders informed of any developments with the Berkeley Site environmental permit, through the local Stakeholder Group.