THE UK鈥檚 Environment Agency is concerned that the proposed containers for burying nuclear waste could crack and leak within 500 years, making the plans for a deep underground repository 鈥渙verly optimistic鈥�, documents obtained by New 杏吧原创 say.
The government鈥檚 nuclear waste agency, Nirex, has proposed that radioactive waste from civil and military nuclear programmes be buried between 300 and 1000 metres below ground at a site yet to be selected. But a report sent to government advisers by the agency warns that there is a long-term risk that the concrete and steel waste containers will corrode and fail.
鈥淭here is good reason to doubt that the packages will last for the target 500 years鈥�
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Nirex鈥檚 plans are 鈥渘ot sufficiently underpinned technically鈥� the agency says. 鈥淲e are concerned that there appears to be insufficient justification for assuming that packages will last for a target period of 500 years.鈥�
However, the agency concludes that deep geological disposal is still 鈥渧iable鈥� and could end up being granted a safety licence 鈥減rovided a publicly and technically suitable site were available鈥�.
