Sellafield First Generation Magnox Storage Pond (FGMSP) Cleanout
Sellafield, Cumbria, UK · 2015-2040s (expected) · Part of multi-billion pound decommissioning programme
The judgement call
Account-gated at launchThe FGMSP is one of the most complex and hazardous legacy facilities at Sellafield, posing significant decommissioning challenges. - First radioactive sludge removed in 2015, marking a critical step in the cleanout process. - Utilizes specialized manipulators and characterization techniques (e.g., SONAR) to address unknown hazards.
Key engineering challenges
Retrieving unrecorded waste skips and highly radioactive sludge from an aging pond. - Developing and deploying remote handling equipment in a highly contaminated underwater environment. - Characterizing and managing diverse waste streams within the pond. - Ensuring long-term containment and safe storage of retrieved waste.
Project facts
- Client / owner
- Sellafield Ltd, Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA)
- Lead contractor
- Veolia Nuclear Solutions (In Pond Manipulator)
- Lead designers
- —
- Project type
- decommissioning
- Scale
- Pond contains >1000 waste skips, significant radioactive sludge
- Disciplines
- nuclear; mechanical; robotics; civil; structural; waste management; remote handling; chemical
- Standards & frameworks
- ONR, IAEA
Sources: ONR: First Generation Magnox Storage Pond (https://www.onr.org.uk/our-work/what-we-regulate/sellafield-decommissioning-fuel-and-waste/sellafield/legacy-ponds-and-silos/first-generation-magnox-storage-pond-1) - World Nuclear News: First radioactive waste removed from Magnox storage pond (https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/First-radioactive-waste-removed-from-Magnox-storag) - Veolia Nuclear Solutions: Sellafield Ltd: In Pond Manipulator (https://www.nuclearsolutions.veolia.com/en/our-expertise/case-studies/sellafield-ltd-pond-manipulator) - IAEA: First Generation Magnox Storage Pond (FGMSP), Sellafield (https://inis.iaea.org/records/887ra-g0717) - NDA Blog: Turning the corner to exciting times (https://nda.blog.gov.uk/turning-the-corner-to-exciting-times/)