Ed Miliband has come under fire for Labour’s plan to bury Britain’s vast plutonium stockpile underground, with critics accusing the Energy Secretary of “throwing away a gold mine.” The proposed move has sparked outrage among industry experts, who have labeled the decision as “utter vandalism” and urged the government to reconsider.
The Labour government has aligned with the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA)—the agency responsible for cleaning up the UK’s earliest nuclear sites—on a plan to dispose of 140 tonnes of hazardous plutonium waste currently stored at Sellafield, Cumbria. The waste would be buried beneath the sea, a decision that has drawn sharp criticism from multiple sectors.
One industry insider described the move as “exceptionally stupid and short-sighted,” while another source highlighted the potential of the stockpile, calling it a “potential gold mine.” This insider emphasized that the plutonium is a “valuable national resource” and argued that burying it is “utter vandalism” from an energy perspective.
The NDA has been exploring different disposal methods for spent plutonium since 2011, including the possibility of reprocessing it into mixed oxide fuel (MOX), which could be used in next-generation reactors being developed by British companies like Moltex Energy and Newcleo. However, these plans came to an abrupt halt when Energy Minister Michael Shanks told MPs that leaving the plutonium in storage while new technologies were developed presented a “burden of security risks” and would create a “ticking time-bomb” for future generations to manage.
Shanks stressed that the government’s objective is to remove the plutonium from reach by converting it into a form that reduces long-term safety and security risks during storage and makes it suitable for disposal in a geological facility. He emphasized that a long-term solution for plutonium is essential for addressing the UK’s nuclear legacy and ensuring a safer environment for future generations.
The plans to dispose of the nuclear fuel underground were unveiled in September, following a period when Conservative ministers had pushed for a delay, suggesting the plutonium remain at Sellafield. However, this approach was deemed both too risky and costly.
In 2023, Professor Clint Sharrad of the University of Manchester acknowledged that while reprocessing the spent fuel appeared promising, it would require significant time, financial investment, and political will. He warned that, given the global political and economic climate, extracting energy from UK plutonium in the near future could become prohibitively expensive, with potential political obstacles making the process too difficult. As a result, he suggested it might be simpler and more cost-effective to treat the plutonium as waste and dispose of it safely.
Although the NDA is still considering new reprocessing technologies, it is unlikely to reverse its decision. A final investment decision is expected by the end of the decade, at which point it would be more challenging to alter the course of action, as construction would already be underway. Nuclear energy company Newcleo has expressed hope that the government may consider reusing the plutonium in the future, noting that the current decision is not necessarily irreversible.
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