Minister backs nuclear dump despite Treasury fear

Areas in Cumbria have been shortlisted for housing a nuclear waste disposal site

The government said it remained committed to delivering a nuclear waste site in the UK despite affordability concerns cited in a Treasury report.

Two potential areas have been identified in Cumbria for a geological disposal facility (GDF), but a report by the National Infrastructure and Service Transformation Authority (Nista) said overall expected costs of between £20bn and £53bn would make it "unaffordable".

The report also noted the Infrastructure and Projects Authority had dropped its confidence rating in GDF from amber to red.

But Energy Minister Michael Shanks said: "I know at times these things seem like they move very slowly, but we are making progress on this."

He added: "When we're successful, this will bring thousands of skilled jobs, investment and economic growth to the local area."

Energy Minister Michael Shanks said he wants decision making around major projects to speed up

Potential GDF sites in Cumbria have been shortlisted after a lengthy process which included technical investigations into their suitability, as well as community engagement.

The Nista report, which assesses how major projects are progressing, said the drop in confidence rating "reflects the unaffordability of the GDF Programme" and the £33bn fluctuation in expected cost was down to uncertainties in how a GDF would be delivered.

"This range reflects the uncertainty of the programme associated with potential host site, geology and technical requirements," the report said.

Nista said further updates would be available early next year, accounting for the impacts of the spending review.

'Not quick enough'

Shanks said the Labour government wanted to move faster in its decision making around major projects.

"As a country we have not been good at moving forward with these projects quickly enough," he said.

"We've been tied up for a long time in planning decisions."

The minister said Nista was part of the process to speed up decision making and he was hoping the GDF would be "a very good example of that when we get it over the line".

Last week the government announced £150m funding to investigate how to dispose of plutonium at Sellafield, which holds the world's largest stockpile of the hazardous material.