Sizewell A now 50% defuelled

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Progress towards decommissioning Sizewell A nuclear power station has passed a significant milestone, with more than half of the 52,945 fuel elements now removed from Sizewell A’s twin reactors.

Defuelling is due to be completed at the site in September 2014.

“Removing spent fuel from reactors and transporting it to Sellafield for reprocessing is a complex process, but Magnox is using all its experience and expertise to deal with the legacy of this first generation of nuclear power stations," said site director Tim Watkins is confident his team will hit that target.

“It is good news that with defuelling recently completed at our Chapelcross site, Sizewell A now has priority for flasks and is making steady progress with fewer than 160 flasks of fuel left to dispatch, he added. “Once all fuel has been dispatched, we will have reduced the radiological hazard on site by more than 99%.”

Dr Brian Burnett, head of programmes for the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA), which owns Sizewell A, said: “This is an important milestone on the site’s journey towards Care and Maintenance and a vital step in reducing hazard on the site.”


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