03 October 2007
Operators of the Dounreay nuclear plant in northern Scotland have come up with a seven-year plan to retrieve spent fuel particles from a section of seabed around the plant’s old active effluent outlet.
The plan to remove offshore particles is to be accompanied by the ongoing legal requirement to detect and remove particles from local beaches – work that is expected to total about £18–25 million.
The 0.6km2 section lies above the site’s old effluent diffusion chamber and is believed to be the main source of particle pollution washing up on local beaches, although there are other less significant suspected sources.