Sellafield Magnox Swarf Storage Silo (MSSS)
Sellafield, Cumbria, UK · 1960s-Present (retrievals ongoing) · Part of multi-billion pound decommissioning programme
The judgement call
Account-gated at launchThe silo was built in the 1960s and does not meet modern safety standards, necessitating complex and innovative retrieval operations. - Leakage of radioactive liquor into the ground has occurred, highlighting the long-term environmental risks of legacy facilities and the urgency of retrieval. - The project involves continuous development of bespoke remote handling and characterization technologies.
Key engineering challenges
Retrieving highly radioactive waste from a silo that no longer meets modern safety standards. - Dealing with radioactive liquor leaks into the ground from the aging facility. - Developing and deploying remote handling equipment for highly hazardous and diverse waste streams. - Ensuring long-term containment and safe storage of retrieved waste.
Project facts
- Client / owner
- Sellafield Ltd, Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA)
- Lead contractor
- —
- Lead designers
- —
- Project type
- decommissioning
- Scale
- 22 vertical underwater compartments, ~10,000 tonnes intermediate level waste
- Disciplines
- nuclear; mechanical; robotics; civil; structural; waste management; remote handling; chemical
- Standards & frameworks
- ONR
Sources: ONR: Magnox Swarf Storage Silo (https://www.onr.org.uk/our-work/what-we-regulate/sellafield-decommissioning-fuel-and-waste/sellafield/legacy-ponds-and-silos/magnox-swarf-storage-silo) - GOV.UK: What is the Magnox Swarf Storage Silo? (https://www.gov.uk/government/case-studies/what-is-the-magnox-swarf-storage-silo) - World Nuclear News: Waste package in place ahead of MSSS clearance (https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/articles/transfer-package-in-place-ahead-of-msss-waste-clea) - NDA Blog: Discovering the secrets in the ground underneath Western Europe’s most hazardous building (https://nda.blog.gov.uk/discovering-the-secrets-in-the-ground-underneath-western-europes-most-hazardous-building/) - ITI Group: Sellafield Magnox Swarf Storage Silo Liquor Level Management (https://www.itigroup.com/case-studies/sellafield-magnox-swarf-storage-silo-liquor-level-management/) - Game Changers Technology: Three innovative projects seek to inform MSSS retrievals operations (https://www.gamechangers.technology/news/Three_innovative_projects_seek_to_inform_MSSS_retrievals_operations)