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Sellafield Ltd's Residue Export Facility (REF) has entered the final stage of preparation before commencing the first return of solid highly active waste to overseas customers.
 The facility, which checks and loads canisters into flasks prior to its shipment, has just successfully completed a key phase of active commissioning, carried out final inspections of the first return canisters and received its third licence instrument from the NII.
Active commissioning in REF started in June 2008, when radioactive inventory was introduced into the facility in a phased and controlled manner. Since then the REF team has commissioned all the plant and equipment, and carried out operations on canisters in readiness for the first Vitrified Residue Return (VRR).
Completing this phase of commissioning and carrying out the final inspection on canisters with overseas customers and their regulator present is a major achievement. The next activity will be to load these canisters into a flask in readiness for export from REF.
The 3rd Licence Instrument, which was received in October from the NII, allows the REF team to move the flask out of REF and across to the Flask Marshalling Area on site.
The VRR programme involves the return of solid highly active waste to overseas customers, and both International Nuclear Services and Sellafield Ltd are playing major roles in these returns.
Sellafield Ltd programme manager John Brocklebank said: “The REF team has performed consistently well during the complex active commissioning phase and has successfully overcome a number of challenges. This success is key to moving the programme on to the next stage – that is, the loading of canisters into the flask.
“The VRR programme infrastructure phase has now moved into the operational part of the schedule. This has been achieved through an integrated approach between Sellafield Ltd and International Nuclear Services. We are working in partnership to achieve contractual commitments and deliver the Government’s policy on waste return.
“The VRR programme now has all its constituent parts ready to make the first return, which is planned in FY 2009/10, subject to final authorisations from regulatory bodies in the UK and overseas.”
12 November 2009
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