Berkeley nuclear site has become the first UK commercial nuclear power station to have its reactors sealed up, with its two Magnox reactors placed in a passive state known as "safestore", to be monitored and maintained until the site is remediated 65 years from now.
The site is owned by the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority and being decommissioned by Magnox South.
The station opened in 1962 and closed in 1990, with defueling completed in 1992 and work since then to leave only reactor vessels and cores.
Safestore implies that all decommissioning work is complete until final dismantling in 2074, by which date the NDA hopes the geological disposal facility will be operational.
"This is a hugely significant achievement, not just for the site but for the UK nuclear industry as a whole, demonstrating the progress being made in decommissioning," said NDA head of programme Sara Johnston.
"Reaching safestore at Berkeley will also provide valuable knowledge and expertise that will assist with taking the remaining Magnox reactors into care and maintenance."
The Authority says that tackling the complex legacy intermediate level waste in Berkeley's vaults, generated during its history as a power station and as a research laboratory, is the next and final challenge on the journey into care and maintenance.
