The UK Atomic Energy Authority, charged with decommissioning six experimental reactors in the UK has claimed that delays by the government in deciding a long term nuclear waste storage policy could cost hundreds of millions of pounds in additional storage charges. The Authority has said that it will have to take decisions about a medium term storage strategy for the nuclear waste soon, but that this may end up being incompatible with the government's final long term strategy. This would introduce additional costs. The largest site to be decommissioned is Dounreay in the north of Scotland. Here the authority is planning to vitrify waste for storage above ground. The UK waste stockpile is currently 10 000 t but this will rise to 500 000 t by the end of the century.
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