UK's Chapelcross nuclear site gets go-ahead for decommissioning

London (Platts)--10Oct2005

The Nuclear Installations Inspectorate gave the go-ahead last week to
decommission Magnox's Chapelcross nuclear plant in Scotland, British Nuclear
Group said.
     "Formal approval of our plans by the regulator was a key step on the way
to decommissioning the station. We have already started defuelling operations
at the site, by progressing the removal of spent fuel from the storage pond
for reprocessing at Sellafield," Dave Wilson, Chapelcross' transition manager
said. "Defuelling the reactors will take place between March 2007 and March
2009. This approval will allow us to start decommissioning in parallel with
these defuelling activities."
     Chapelcross started generating in 1959 and stopped in 2004. Since April
2005 the station has been managed by British Nuclear Group under contract to
the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority.
     Under current plans the four large cooling towers will be removed by
2007, all buildings except the four reactor buildings will be removed from the
site by 2017, and final site clearance will be completed in 2128. The NDA is
consulting on proposals to accelerate this process and achieve final site
clearance before 2030.

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