BRADWELL Power Station has taken a step closer to being fully decommissioned after a major source of radioactive waste has been removed from the site.

The nuclear power station has now successfully dealt with all of its Fuel Element Debris (FED) waste, which represents an important step towards its planned closure.

Magnox Ltd used new techniques and solutions to manage the waste, which consisted of the magnesium alloy cladding that surrounds the nuclear fuel.

The material was dissolved in acid, and Magnox are now exploring new options to dispose of the waste. As a result the length of time expected to complete the process has been reduced by a year.

Bob Nichols, Bradwell site closure director, praised the progress made with the work.

He said: “I want to pay tribute to the Bradwell and wider Magnox workforce who have worked tirelessly to manage Bradwell’s FED inventory, which has proved to be one of the most challenging work programmes undertaken by Magnox.

“We have shown we are able to work collaboratively, both with our supply chain and other parts of the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority estate, to accelerate progress without compromising our high safety standards, which stands us in good stead as the site approaches care and maintenance.”

In total, 65 tonnes of FED was treated on the site, as the material was dissolved in acid and reduced by more than 90 per cent.

More than half of the FED was re-classified as suitable for disposal as low level waste.

Nuclear Decommissioning Authority Chief Executive, David Peattie, said: “This is another really important milestone and a huge step forward in cleaning up and decommissioning in the UK’s earliest nuclear sites.

“Finding new solutions and techniques to deal with radioactive waste is helping us to do things more quickly and efficiently, making our sites safer sooner and providing best value for the taxpayer. I would like to thank everyone involved in delivering this successful programme.”

As well as the removal of the FED, the site has demolished the used fuel ponds complex, which housed nuclear fuel underwater to cool and store it after it was taken out of the reactors.

The building was decontaminated over a four year building, meaning it was safe to be demolished using conventional methods.