The Council is pleased the Government has now reached conclusions about how it plans to manage the UK’s stock of separated civil plutonium.
Our community currently bears the burden of storing this material, so Cumberland Council is a key stakeholder on the issue. While Sellafield has a long and proven track record of storing this material safely and securely, we fully support the main objective of putting it into a permanently safe form beyond reach.
Council Leader Mark Fryer said “Cumberland Council is open to all potential new nuclear missions within Cumberland, provided these contribute to a more resilient economy and provide a positive legacy.
Given the security considerations associated with plutonium management, it makes sense that new facilities required to support an immobilisation programme should be located on the Sellafield site.
The scale of the facility that will be required to permanently immobilise the plutonium will offer significant opportunities for employment both within Sellafield Ltd and in the local supply chain.
The Council has a good working relationship with the current leadership teams of both the NDA and Sellafield and I am confident that all parties will work collaboratively to secure maximum value and benefit from the programme for the local economy and community.
Despite significant investment at Sellafield over the years, we have historically failed to capitalise on this to create a sustainable economic legacy for our community. The Council, the NDA and Sellafield are committed to ensuring that, between us, we make sure that our community enjoys greater long-term benefits from nuclear developments as we move forward.
I am proud that, yet again, our community will be supporting and delivering a programme of national importance and I and the Council will work tirelessly to ensure it is rewarded accordingly”.