Recommendation 8

Since 2020, Sellafield Ltd has missed most of its operational targets for retrieving waste, and turning liquid waste into a glass–like substance (both of which reduce the hazard the waste poses).12 It told us that the COVID–19 pandemic had had a big impact – particularly on the facility which turns highly active waste into glass. This facility stopped processing waste for a period of time and maintenance tasks were not carried out, leading to a number of issues with the equipment, some of which have still not been resolved. Some experienced operators decided to retire, and Sellafield Ltd found it difficult to train their replacements as it could not provide ‘on the job’ training in periods when the facility was not operating.13 Sellafield Ltd also told us that it had made less progress with retrieving waste from the ‘Magnox Swarf Storage Silo’ because of problems with getting newly–installed equipment to work effectively in an older building – including issues with how cranes were powered.14 We were, however, pleased to hear that it achieved its 2024–25 target for removing waste from its other silo, the ‘Pile Fuel Cladding Silo’.15