Published at 12:56, Friday, 27 November 2009

NEWS that Sellafield has started preparations to export highly active nuclear waste through Barrow will no doubt be greeted with protest by the anti-nuclear campaign.

However, if we are to benefit from the undoubted benefits that the proposed new nuclear power stations will bring to us here on the energy coast, it is vital we have a successful and safe reprocessing plant.

Vitrification is a proven and tested method of dealing with the highly radioactive liquid produced during the extraction of plutonium from irradiated nuclear fuel.

It is the storage of said waste with estimates of anything between 10,000 and 1,000,000 years given until its radioactivity has completely decayed that remains contentious.

All parties, both pro and anti-nuclear, recognise that this is one area that requires a great deal more scientific attention.

However, when it comes to the actual transportation of spent fuel the logistics and safety aspects are tried and tested.

The flasks themselves can withstand huge impact forces.

One test saw a flask filled with steel bars and water before a train was driven into it at high speed.

Only cosmetic damage was sustained by the flask while the train was destroyed.

That said, transport security remains a major concern.

People need to be assured that every measure has been taken to ensure complete security during the entire opertaion.

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