Radio active waste disposal in spotlight
Scheme’s on the agenda at conference
CONFERENCE: Projects to safely dispose of radioactive waste will come under the spotlight at a major business event tomorrow.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson is to speak at the Great Northern Conference 2020 which will act as a sounding board for the North of England as it faces unprecedented challenges caused by the pandemic.
PROJECTS TO safely dispose of radioactive waste will come under the spotlight at a major business event tomorrow.
The Great Northern Conference 2020 will act as a sounding board for the North of England as it faces unprecedented challenges caused by the pandemic.
The event follows the stunning success of the inaugural Great Northern Conference in 2019, which was staged in Leeds.
The Northern Powerhouse Partnership and JPIMedia are joining forces again to continue the debate on how best to grow the economy and develop opportunities in a sustainable and meaningful way across the North of England.
The conference will be held online in response to growing Government concerns about the spread of Covid- 19. Tomorrow’s event will outline some of the major challenges and opportunities facing the North of England.
The event will include a debate about energy and sustainable infrastructure, which is sponsored by Radioactive Waste Management.
A spokesman for Radioactive Waste Management said: “Delivering a Geological Disposal Facility ( GDF) will be one of the largest environmental protection projects ever undertaken in the UK and the first project on this scale to use a community consentbased approach to siting. This could have truly transformational potential for host communities.”
Geological disposal involves
isolating radioactive waste deep inside a suitable rock volume engineered to ensure that no harmful quantities of radioactivity reach the surface.
The spokesman added: “Nuclear technology has been a part of our lives for over 60 years and is used in power generation, industry, medicine and defence. Like all industrial processes, these activities have created waste that must be managed safely.
“There is international consensus that the best option for the long- term management of higher activity radioactive waste is geological disposal, deep underground.
The spokesman continued: “Radioactive Waste Management ( RWM), a wholly- owned subsidiary of the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority ( NDA), is tasked with finding a suitable site and a willing host community and then constructing and operating a GDF.
“RWM will become part of the host community and will create supply chain and other partnerships that will support the socioeconomic success of the community and the wider region.
“The design, construction and operation of a GDF in the UK is a multi- billion pound infrastructure programme offering huge benefits to the host community.
The spokesman continued: “A GDF will create and support thousands of highly- skilled jobs and boost local businesses for over a century of operation and construction and help drive local economic growth and prosperity.
“RWM will work closely with businesses and communities to find out if a GDF is right for their area. There are few projects in the UK like this with the scale and potential to act as a positive catalyst for transforming the socio- economic vitality of a community, so we hope that you’ll join us at the Great Northern Conference to hear more about the project and get involved.”
To watch the conference go to: https:// gnc. register- me. uk/