Augean submitted an Environmental Permit application to the Environment Agency for the disposal of Low Level Radioactive Waste (LLW) into the Port Clarence Landfill Sites in 2019.
The application was accompanied by an Environmental Safety Case (ESC) that considered a wide range of risk assessments, which demonstrate to the Environment Agency that the proposals would not harm people in the local area or the environment in the short or long term. Augean has responded to all matters the Environment Agency has raised while considering the Environmental Permit and has submitted a revised ESC to clarify key aspects of the application.
Disposal of radioactive waste is highly regulated, and so the determination process for the permit has involved complex and rigorous scrutiny of the application, requiring a significant amount of technical input from Augean and Environment Agency.
The site already accepts Naturally Occurring Radioactive Material (NORM) wastes, as they fall under an exemption from the requirement for a specific Environmental Permit; however, they must still be carefully handled in a competent manner.
The Port Clarence Landfills and Waste Recovery Park provide safe and appropriate facilities with a highly skilled workforce specially trained to manage difficult types of waste. The services provided by the site complement the cluster of hazardous and heavy industries in the area. The site is remote from residential properties.
Additionally, Augean submitted planning applications to Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council for permission to accept LLW for treatment at the Waste Recovery Park or disposal into the hazardous and nonhazardous waste landfill sites. These will be determined after the permit application.
A permit for the treatment of LLW at the Waste Recovery Park is already in place, having satisfied the Environment Agency that the processes for handling LLW will be managed safely.
It has been Government policy since 2007 for LLW to be disposed of into suitable landfill sites. This was the conclusion reached after extensive consultation. This policy ensures the continued operation of the Low Level Waste Repository in Cumbria for LLW wastes
with higher levels of activity that are not suitable for disposal in conventional landfill sites. There is a need to decommission old nuclear power stations, such as Hartlepool, and to support the industry, hospitals, and research facilities. Teesside is a centre of excellence in innovative waste management, offering a range of facilities. The site is already part of an integrated network of waste recovery and disposal installations, and the consent to manage LLW will extend the services it can provide to industry, both locally and regionally, and in some cases, nationally.
