14 September 2007
The Sellafield site operator has reported that the initial 33t shearing campaign as part of the phased restart of the Thermal Oxide Reprocessing Plant (Thorp), which commenced on 4 July 2007, has been successful. The modified plant and procedures for the Feed Clarification Cell have now been fully recommissioned and tested.
The liquors resulting from the leak discovered in April 2005 and held in buffer storage since then have been reprocessed. The next phase will be for the Chemical Plant to reprocess the 33t of dissolved fuel in October.
Thorp head Steve Cockayne said: “We have made a whole range of improvements covering operator training, instrumentation, operating regimes and instructions. All these enhancements have been successfully commissioned and proven during the initial operations. We are confident that we have done everything necessary to allow the continued safe operation of Thorp."
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