The Asbestos Innovation Partnership (AIP) will work with the NDA, NDA subsidiary Nuclear Waste Services (NWS), and the supply chain, to test and develop new solutions to treat asbestos waste.
Two consortia that make up the AIP involve Veolia Nuclear UK Solutions and Cyclife UK Ltd, plus React 2, which is made up of Oakham-based Galson Sciences, and Thermachange, a Liverpool company that processes and upcycles asbestos.
In a statement, Emma Ferguson-Gould, NDA chief commercial and business development officer, said: “The development of the innovation partnership for the management of asbestos waste is a huge milestone for the NDA group and is equally beneficial for the delivery of NDA’s mission and for the enhanced value this will deliver for the UK taxpayer.
“Delivering this milestone highlights the benefits of working as one NDA group and our collective enduring commitment to our critical mission.”
The NDA group is tasked with decommissioning the UK’s oldest nuclear sites where large quantities of radiologically contaminated asbestos need to be managed.
Currently, non-nuclear contaminated asbestos waste goes to landfill, some contaminated asbestos is allowed in very small quantities in the Low Level Waste Repository, and the bulk is designated for disposal in a future Geological Disposal Facility (GDF).
Nuclear Waste Services will now oversee the AIP to look at how legacy and future waste is managed in the most sustainable and efficient way. It is projected that by utilising new techniques and reducing use of landfill, the partnership could help realise multi-million-pound cost savings.
Paul Tuohy, NWS director of strategy and integrated waste management, said: “We see enormous opportunities to better manage asbestos waste across the NDA group. By establishing the Asbestos Innovation Partnership (AIP) we will work with the private sector to develop new and innovative treatment solutions, accelerating hazard reduction and realising significant cost savings.”
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