Dungeness decommission approved

The British Nuclear Group (BNG) has received formal consent to decommission Dungeness A power station.
The consent was received from the Nuclear Installations Inspectorate and will begin once the power station ceases generating electricity at the end of this year. The first phase of the decommissioning programme will involve transporting fuel from the two Magnox reactors at the site to Sellafield for reprocessing and should be complete by 2009.
It is expected all of the plant and buildings will be removed by 2021, with the exception of reactor containment. The site should be completely clear by 2111. “By the time the station ceases generating in December it will have provided 40 years of electricity, safely,” commented Nick Gore, site manager at Dungeness A.
The decision to decommission the site follows extensive consultation with shareholders and regulators over the impact it will have on the surrounding environment and local communities.
“We have worked hard to make the application for decommissioning a transparent and inclusive process by producing a detailed environment statement that informs stakeholders of our plans and their implications,” adds Gore.