Sellafield's lining up a new building to empty sludge from its 1950s pond, with work possibly starting in 2029 Sellafield plans new plant to handle radioactive sludge from its 1950s fuel pond

Sellafield wants to build a new plant to handle the sludge from its old open-air pond. It's early days, but enabling works could start in 2029, and it could need up to 200 builders a day.

If you work at Sellafield, or live near it or along the A595, this is worth knowing.

Sellafield Ltd has asked Cumberland Council whether a new building it's planning, the Sludge Handling and Export Plant, or SHEP, needs a full environmental assessment. It's not a planning application yet, just the first step.

The plant would handle about 1,500 cubic metres of radioactive sludge from the First Generation Magnox Storage Pond. That's the open-air pond built back in the 1950s and 60s to hold used fuel, and the sludge has built up in it over the decades. Right now it's kept in Sludge Packaging Plant 1.

The new building would be about 47 metres long, 28 wide and 21 high. Sludge would come in by pipe, the solids would settle, the water would come off, and the rest would go into 500-litre drums, around 600 a year, to be treated and stored elsewhere on site.

It's a long job. They reckon about ten years in all, with early works from 2029, the big build about five years after that, and the plant running from about 2040 for around seven years. Up to 200 builders a day could be needed, about half of them already at Sellafield, and about 85 existing staff would run it.

A Sellafield Ltd spokesman said SHEP "is intended to play a crucial role in our hazard and risk reduction work". The nuclear regulator, the ONR, told the council it "does not advise against this development". The council's highways team want a construction traffic plan, especially for the A595.

What to do: look up SCR-4/26/58 on the council's planning search to read the documents yourself.

Sellafield Ltd has asked Cumberland Council whether a planned Sludge Handling and Export Plant needs a full environmental assessment. Early works could start in 2029, with the plant handling about 1,500 cubic metres of radioactive sludge from around 2040.

This is for Sellafield workers, contractors and people living near the site and along the A595.

Sellafield Ltd has asked Cumberland Council for an Environmental Impact Assessment screening opinion on a proposed Sludge Handling and Export Plant (SHEP). This is an early step to find out whether a full environmental assessment would be needed. It is not a planning application.

The plant would deal with an estimated 1,500 cubic metres of radioactive sludge recovered from the First Generation Magnox Storage Pond. That open-air pond was built in the 1950s and 1960s to receive and store used nuclear fuel, and sludge built up in it over decades. The sludge is currently held in Sludge Packaging Plant 1.

The new building would be about 47 metres long, 28 metres wide and 21 metres high. It would take sludge by pipe, let the solids settle, remove the liquid and put the material into 500-litre drums, about 600 a year, for treatment at the Waste Encapsulation Plant and storage elsewhere on site.

The project is expected to take about ten years to deliver. Enabling works could start in 2029, with major construction about five years later and the plant in use from around 2040 for about seven years. Up to 200 construction workers could be needed each day, about half from the existing workforce. About 85 existing staff would run it.

A Sellafield Ltd spokesman said SHEP "is intended to play a crucial role in our hazard and risk reduction work". The Office for Nuclear Regulation told the council it "does not advise against this development". Highways officers want any future application to include a construction traffic plan, particularly for the A595.

What you can do: the screening request is reference SCR-4/26/58 on Cumberland Council's planning search, where you can read the documents.