New Position Paper on geological disposal facility regulation

The UK Committee on Radioactive Waste Management (CoRWM) has released a Position Paper setting out how a geological disposal facility (GDF) would be regulated and by whom.

The document is the output of discussions with the relevant regulators, including the Office for Nuclear Regulation, the Environment Agency, Scottish Environmental Protection Agency and Natural Resources Wales.

CoRWM suggests that regulation of a GDF cannot be divorced from the wider context of management of higher and intermediate level wastes, including consideration of near-surface disposal of suitable intermediate level wastes.

The paper points out that public and stakeholder trust in the regulators is vital, alongside confidence in the fairness, openness, participative nature and transparency of the regulatory process. One challenge highlighted is the comparative complexity of the UK’s regulatory process. Another is maintaining institutional learning and capability of the regulatory system over the very long time periods involved.