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The SAFEGROUNDS project

Dr Andy Thomas
Strategy Manager - Decommissioning and Clean Up in BNFL's Sellafield Remediation Team
Chairman, SAFEGROUNDS Learning Network Steering Group

What is SAFEGROUNDS?

The SAFEGROUNDS ('SAFety and Environmental Guidance for Remediation Of Nuclear and Defence Sites') project is a public-private-partnership. This initiative is being managed by CIRIA on behalf of the DTI Liability Management Group (Safety Issues Task Force) and is supported by DETR, HSE (NII), MoD, BNFL, UKAEA, and British Energy.

Why do we need SAFEGROUNDS?

Many nuclear and defence sites have ground contaminated with a combination of radioactive and chemical contaminants so sustainable management of land on these sites, now and in the future, is of national interest. However regulatory guidance on management of contaminated land currently excludes these sites of which there are currently over 30 nuclear licensed sites in the UK and dozens of defence sites. In addition several nuclear sites have now ceased operations and many more are planned for closure in the early part of the 21st Century. However at the moment there is no clear definition of acceptable end states, clearance levels, post closure monitoring etc, nor guidance for how to plan for this.

What are the benefits of SAFEGROUNDS?

1. Safety. The SAFEGROUNDS Project is attempting to establish in consultation with all stakeholders (regulators, industry, operators, government, public, environmental groups etc) an interim framework for safely managing contaminated land within which all nuclear and defence site liability managers can work. In addition the SAFEGROUNDS Project will develop guidance that will help site owners plan for the eventual safe decommissioning of some or all of specific nuclear and defence sites.
2. Cost. The liability cost of cleaning up this land is considerable (approx. £1-2 Billion for BNFL sites alone). In the case of state owned site operators (MoD, UKAEA, BNFL), much of this will have to be found from the public purse. There is much societal benefit to be gained therefore, not only in knowing how to discharge these liabilities safely, but also economically. This is one of the key objectives of the SAFEGROUNDS project. In addition the participating liability managers consider that a collaborative project, such as the establishment of the SAFEGROUNDS Project, is also the most cost effective way of preparing the guidance that is required and provides for sharing of both cost and best practice.
3. Public Reassurance. It is the view of the SAFEGROUNDS participants that public acceptability requires that independence of the guidance is maintained and that it be prepared by consensus rather than as a partisan exercise. This will be the policy of the SAFEGROUNDS project.

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