Radioactive Waste Management Ltd

Bruce McKirdy, Managing Director, says “The White Paper sets out the role of Radioactive Waste Management Limited (RWM) as the developer of a geological disposal facility and clearly positions the public at the centre of any final decision-making on where a facility is sited.”

Bruce McKirdy, Managing Director of Radioactive Waste Management Limited

Welcoming the publication of today’s White Paper ‘Implementing Geological Disposal’, Managing Director of Radioactive Waste Management Limited (RWM) Bruce McKirdy said: 

“The Government has launched a new plan to deal permanently with the country’s radioactive waste. Today’s White Paper sets out our role as the developer of a geological disposal facility (GDF) and clearly positions the public at the centre of any final decision-making on where it is sited. 

“For more than 60 years, Britain has been accumulating radioactive waste which is currently stored safely at over 30 sites around the country.  For the long term, we are responsible for making this waste even safer, by removing it from the surface, away from people and the environment and securing it in a number of vaults and tunnels deep underground. 

“Our organisation of scientists and engineers is determined to tackle this legacy. We work closely with our counterparts worldwide to provide reassurance and solutions to the many technical aspects of the programme. Every step of the process will be scrutinized. If we cannot satisfy ourselves and the independent regulators that a GDF is safe, then it will not be built. 

“The first steps will be to conduct a national geological screening exercise looking at the country’s geology, working closely with other experts and with stakeholders.  The process of finding a suitable site is going to take many years.  We will explain, discuss and respond to the many questions the public will inevitably have, building relationships with communities around the country, so that they have trust and confidence that we are working in partnership with them throughout this exercise.”