
Underground layout of GDF
The construction of a Geological Disposal Facility (GDF) hundreds of metres underground remains the government’s long-term ambition to deal with the current and future nuclear waste legacy in England and Wales.
Nuclear Waste Services, part of the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority, and the public body tasked with delivering this very considerable project, is currently working with communities in Cumbria and Lincolnshire who have expressed an interest in potentially hosting a future GDF to explore if these might be suitable areas.
Three such areas in Cumbria have been identified and GDF Community Partnerships have subsequently been established – Mid Copeland, South Copeland and Allerdale. In Lincolnshire, one more has been set up, in Theddlethorpe.
A GDF will be designed to dispose of highly radioactive waste, so it will need to be a highly engineered structure consisting of multiple barriers to provide the necessary protection to the public and the environment.
So, what is the Office for Nuclear Regulation’s (ONR) potential role?
ONR has no role in the site selection process for a GDF.
Nor does ONR have any decision-making role in the process for identifying and selecting sites for investigation.
However, we would have responsibility for licensing any future facility and for regulating the safety and security (including nuclear safeguards) during the design, construction and operation of a GDF, as well as regulating the transport of radioactive waste to the facility.
Along with fellow regulator the Environment Agency, we’re currently engaging with Nuclear Waste Services to provide advice and scrutiny of its work on geological disposal ahead of any site being chosen.
This will ensure that any future GDF would meet our continual high standards for safety, security, safeguards, transport and environmental protection.
We recognise that members of the public, particularly those located in the areas that have so far come forward and expressed an interest in hosting a facility, are likely to have questions about the safety and security of a GDF.
We understand that for those people with no involvement in the nuclear industry in some way, there is probably limited knowledge of ONR and the vital role we have protecting workers and the public.
ONR is an independent regulator and transparency about our work is extremely important, and something we believe is essential to building and maintaining public confidence in what we do.
We are proud of our ongoing commitment to stakeholder engagement as we constantly look to become increasingly open, encourage positive and respectful communication channels as we share information on our activities, answer questions, explore concerns and always explain fully, and clearly, our regulatory decisions.
During the site selection process, we are committed to supporting the community partnerships that have been formed, to explain our role as the nuclear safety, security and safeguards regulator and to address questions about how any future GDF will be regulated.
So far, we’ve attended face-to-face events in Cumbria and Lincolnshire and have also delivered online presentations, along with the Environment Agency, to explain more about who we are and what we do, and how we might regulate any future GDF.
The feedback so far has shown that the level of knowledge about ONR, and the role we have in regulating the nuclear industry, has varied amongst members of the public, as well as with the members of the working groups and community partnerships that we’ve engaged with.
As an organisation that takes our transparency obligations seriously, we will continue to support and make ourselves available to meet with the public, and the current and any future community partnerships, to explain more about our role and to answer any questions and queries people may have.
This remains a key priority for us, so that communities can make an informed decision about whether a GDF is right for them.
Further information about our role in regulating a future GDF can be found on our website, along with an information leaflet which provides an overview of our role.
January 2023