Cumbria has been in the running to host an underground facility to store nuclear waste for several years now.
Work to find a suitable site for a geological disposal facility – or GDF – is a long process and the facility itself, if built here, would be ready to store waste in the 2050s.
Over the past few years, initial studies, investigations and surveys have been carried out in mid and south Copeland to help identify a potential site.
Just this week, Nuclear Waste Services, which is managing the search for a GDF site, revealed ‘areas of focus’ – specific patches of land where it will focus its studies going ahead. Areas of focus have been chosen in Cumbria and in East Lincolnshire.
So how close is Cumbria really to having a GDF built here? How much would it cost? Would it create jobs? and why do we need it?
We’ve put together all the current information we have on Nuclear Waste Services’ search for a GDF site in the UK to give you a better insight into the ongoing process.
What is a GDF?
A geological disposal facility is an underground site designed to dispose of some of the most dangerous and destructive high-level radioactive waste safely.
Made up of a series of protective vaults and tunnels, a GDF gives the waste a place to be sealed away from humans forever.
To give you a scale, if a GDF was to be built in Cumbria, the facility would be as deep as Scafell Pike is tall and would hold enough waste to fill around two-thirds of Wembley Stadium.
A GDF would be constructed between 200 and 1,000 metres below ground, or below the seabed. At this depth the waste will be protected from natural events and processes such as earthquakes and long-term environmental changes such as future ice ages or sea level rises.
But construction would only begin once a suitable site is identified, a potential host community has confirmed its willingness to host the facility, and all the necessary consents and permits have been obtained.
Where would a GDF be built in Cumbria?
A GDF site is made up of a surface location, the right geological environment deep underground and the ability to connect the two with accessways.
No waste would be disposed of at the GDF surface facility, Nuclear Waste Services said.
Surface locations identified would play host to the surface facilities and accessways to a GDF while the sub-surface locations identified are where the waste itself would be disposed of.
Two surface areas of focus have been identified in Mid Copeland, including land east of Sellafield and land east of Seascale. In South Cumbria, land west of Haverigg has been identified as another possible site.
An area of focus has also been identified in East Lincolnshire.
Allerdale was withdrawn last year because analysis showed there was not likely to be enough suitable rock for a GDF.
The sub-surface areas of focus – where the waste itself would be disposed of – remain the same in the deep geology off the coast in Mid Copeland and South Copeland. The areas for consideration are up to 22.2km off the coast.
If one of these surface sites were to be chosen to host a GDF surface facility, it would not be built within 500 metres of Gosforth or Seascale.
Ponsonby Church, Greycroft stone circle, the ancient woodland at Calderbridge and Seascale Golf Club are also not included in the surface areas of focus.The Hallsenna Moor Site of Special Scientific Interest is also excluded from the surface area of focus.
The surface site would also not be built within 500 metres of urban areas in Millom and Haverigg. Kirksanton has also not been included in the surface area of focus.
HMP Haverigg, Kirksanton Moss Nature Reserve and the Duddon Estuary Site of Special Scientific Interest are not included within the surface area of focus.
Tunnelling to create an accessway to the potential site would also be avoided where possible beneath HMP Haverigg.
No areas which fall within the Lake District National Park or proposed southern boundary extension will be considered to host a GDF. Tunnelling for accessways to a potential GDF beneath settlements and urban areas would also be avoided where possible.
The identification of these sites does not mean a GDF or its surface facilities will be sited in these areas.
Construction will only start when a suitable site is identified, a potential host community has confirmed its willingness to host the facility, and all the necessary consents and permits have been obtained.
The areas have been identified using a a range of information, such as geological data, areas of environmental protection, and consideration of built-up areas.
Drop in sessions are also being held throughout February to explain the areas of focus to residents.
So, when would a GDF be built?
Construction will only start on a GDF when a suitable site is identified by Nuclear Waste Services, a potential host community has confirmed its willingness to host the facility through a Test of Public Support, and all the necessary consents and permits have been obtained.
These steps could take around 10 to 15 years. The current planning assumption is that a GDF will be available for intermediate level waste in the 2050s and high level waste and spent fuel from 2075.
A GDF will be constructed in sections over the lifetime of its operation. Continually constructing, operating and filling a GDF then closing it, will run into the next century.
What’s next in the GDF process?
Key targets for the GDF programme in 2025 are:
- Progressing site evaluation studies for all Community Partnerships – Nuclear Waste Services is working towards a decision on the first community to progress to deep borehole investigation (and to receive increased community investment of up to £2.5million a year) and are aiming to seek the Secretary of State’s approval on its decision by December 2025.
- Engaging with communities – NWS said it will support and facilitate development of community visions for each community and the accompanying outline proposals and opportunities for Significant Additional Investment.
- Delivery partner procurement – It will start procurement for a supply chain partner that will help it co-ordinate all detailed site characterisation activity, which provides the underpinning data for the GDF design and safety case.
- Deep borehole Development Consent Order preparations – It will start the DCO pre-application engagement and consultation process for drilling deep boreholes.
By 2026, Nuclear Waste Services is aiming to acquire Government approval to proceed to deep borehole investigations and by autumn 2028, it hopes to move from multiple areas of focus to the identification of a single area of focus.
By 2030 it is aiming to have all permissions in place from regulators to begin site characterisation both at sea and on land.
In the late 2030s, it is aiming to submit a decision on a GDF location following a test of public support.
By the late 2040s, it hopes to have all consents in place from Government and regulators to enable construction to start and for the first packaged of waste to be received by the 2050s. A date is not yet known for when the GDF would be sealed off from humans permanently.
What do siting factors mean for the GDF’s location?
The six siting factors are:
- Safety and security If NWS cannot demonstrate that a site will be safe and secure during its construction and operation, the GDF will not be built. The geology must be suitable to support a safety case after it has been closed, and the facility must satisfy the UK’s strict safety and security standards.
- Community Through engagement, research and assessment, NWS will seek to ensure that the social and economic impact of a GDF will benefit the community.
- Environment The delivery of a GDF will represent one of the largest environmental protection projects in the UK. To successfully deliver a GDF, NWS will need to assess the impact on the natural and historic environment, protected habitats and species.
- Engineering feasibility The geology of an area will significantly influence whether and how a GDF can be designed, constructed and operated safely during its operation and closure. NWS will assess if the design, construction and operation of a GDF at a specific location is feasible.
- Transport To build and operate a GDF, NWS will need to be able to transport radioactive waste and construction materials safely and securely.
- Value for money A GDF will be built where it represents good value for money for the taxpayer over the long term.
Why does the UK need a GDF?
High-level radioactive waste takes thousands of years to break down, so as long as the Government continues to back nuclear as a green option for energy, long-term waste storage solutions will always be needed.
The waste also cannot be sent to other countries, it has to be dealt with here.
Currently, the UK’s most hazardous radioactive waste is treated and packaged in solid form and held at over 20 surface storage facilities across the country.
Nuclear Waste Services said investing in a GDF now offers a permanent solution and removes the need for ongoing human intervention for future generations.
But ultimately – a fully willing community that supports the idea of a GDF is required for it to go ahead.
If Cumbria were to decide in favour of a GDF, a test of public support would eventually be held and organised by the local authority in the form of a poll or vote.
How much does a GDF cost?
Nuclear Waste Services said the cost of design and early construction to get a GDF ready to receive waste in the 2050s is estimated to be in the region of £12 billion – figures in 2017/18 monetary values.
The total whole life cost of the programme spanning 175 years and including the design, construction, operation, and closure of a GDF, is estimated to be in the region of £20bn to £53bn. Costs will be spread over the lifetime of the programme.
The cost of storage of waste destined for a GDF has been estimated at around £70 million a year by the 2040s. These costs could increase as stores require replacement and if wastes need to be repackaged.
Is any other country considering a GDF?
There are three other countries moving forward with plans to create GDFs.
Finland, Canada, Sweden and Switzerland are also progressing plans.
Nuclear Waste Services said it has also given advice and assurance on international GDF programmes through membership of the Technical Advisory Committee of the Nuclear Waste Management Organisation of Japan (NUMO) and expert peer review of the management of radioactive waste and spent fuel, decommissioning and remediation in Belgium under the auspices of the International Atomic Energy Agency.
What now?
On January 24 2025, the UK Government said it had decided to retain separated plutonium at the Sellafield site.
The NDA says the next phase will be to seek approval for a major programme on plutonium disposition, ‘requiring a nuclear material processing plant and interim storage capability to be built at Sellafield, bringing major investment to the area and supporting thousands of skilled jobs for decades’ – a GDF.
The group will continue progressing research and development work to identify the preferred technology for immobilisation, converting the material to a safer and more stable form ready for final disposal in a GDF.
While the plutonium would eventually be stored in a GDF – this does not mean a GDF will be built in Cumbria.
The next phase will be to seek approval for a major programme on plutonium disposition, requiring a nuclear material processing plant and interim storage capability to be built at Sellafield.
As well as generating thousands of jobs during construction, and hundreds of jobs in operation, it is hoped the disposition programme will result in a significant boost to the regional supply chain and support investment in local infrastructure projects bringing major investment to the area and support thousands of skilled jobs for decades.
