Committee on Radioactive Waste Management (CoRWM)

The Committee on Radioactive Waste Management (CoRWM) has recently announced an integrated package of draft recommendations for the long-term management of the UK's radioactive waste.

It is envisaged that, in the long term, radioactive waste will be disposed of deep underground, an option known as geological disposal. However, the process leading to the creation of suitable facilities for disposal may take several decades and should therefore be underpinned by robust interim storage.

The Committee's draft recommendations argue that to identify a site for geological disposal the Government will need to secure from potential host communities a willingness to participate and that it should offer a package of measures to support participation. It calls for a partnership approach to working with local communities with the right to withdraw from the process and the eventual decisions subject to the ratification of the relevant elected bodies.

The recommendations were reached after an exhaustive three year process that has examined the technical, scientific, ethical and social aspects of all the potential options. The Committee has consulted with over 200 technical experts and listened hard to the views of thousands of members of the public and key stakeholders.

There will now be further consultation with interested parties before CoRWM delivers its final report to Defra, and the devolved administrations of Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales in July. The recommendations apply to the estimated 470,000 cubic metres of waste that currently exist or will arise through decommissioning of current nuclear sites. CORWM has no position on the desirability or otherwise of nuclear new build.

There is an opportunity to comment on the Draft Recommendations. These can be found on the CoRWM website www.corwm.org.uk . You have until May 26 to comment.