Labour, contrary to all the evidence, plan new small modular reactors (SMRs), above, across the UK unless Scottish planning authorities stand firm.
The new small plants actually generate more waste to be dealt with.
Yesterday, we saw in Global Times:
Chinese nuclear power industry insiders told the Global Times at an event in Beijing on Wednesday that China offered Japan a technology specifically for tritium wastewater treatment for their crippled Fukushima Daiichi complex, but due to the high costs, Japan eventually chose what was the simplest and cheapest method for them – to discharge it into the sea.
At a forum on China’s nuclear power development on Wednesday, Ye Qizhen, an academician at the Chinese Academy of Engineering, said China is currently working on a technology to separate and treat high-concentration tritium waste specifically, ensuring it does not mix with other wastewater.
For the very small remaining amount of highly concentrated tritium waste that cannot be treated, China will store it through glass encapsulation, triple-engineered barriers, and burial at depths of 400-500 meters underground, strictly isolated from the biosphere, as it naturally decays by half in about 12.5 years, Ye said.
How dangerous is Tritium?
Nuclear facilities emit very large amounts of tritium, 3H, the radioactive isotope of hydrogen. Much evidence from cell/animal studies and radiation biology theory indicates that tritium is more hazardous than gamma rays and most X-rays. However the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) continues to underestimate tritium’s hazard by recommending a radiation weighting factor (wR) of unity for tritium’s beta particle emissions. Tritium’s exceptionally high molecular exchange rate with hydrogen atoms on adjacent molecules makes it extremely mobile in the environment. This plus the fact that the most common form of tritium is water, ie radioactive water, means that, when tritium is emitted from nuclear facilities, it rapidly contaminates all biota in adjacent areas. Tritium binds with organic matter to form organically bound tritium (OBT) with long residence times in tissues and organs making it more radiotoxic than tritiated water (HTO). Epidemiology studies indicate increases in cancers and congenital malformations near nuclear facilities. It is recommended that nuclear operators and scientists should be properly informed about tritium’s hazards; that tritium’s safety factors should be strengthened; and that a hazard scheme for common radionuclides be established.
Will the small modular reactors proposed by Labour produce much waste?
SMRs will produce more voluminous and chemically/physically reactive waste than LWRs, which will impact options for the management and disposal of this waste. Although the analysis focuses on only three of dozens of proposed SMR designs, the intrinsically higher neutron leakage associated with SMRs suggests that most designs are inferior to existing LWRs with respect to the generation, management, and final disposal of key radionuclides in nuclear waste. https://www.pnas.org/doi/full/10.1073/pnas.2111833119
Talking-up Scotland 'Albatraz' 
Westminster spending £13Billion a year decommissioning nuclear over ten years. £130. Ever increasing.
Scotland does not need nuclear. Scotland is in surplus in fuel and energy and nearer the source. Scotland pays more pro rata.
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We need the existing nuclear waste dealt with before any new nuclear power generation is undertaken.
Also the waste material and pollution from the nuclear subs and warheads!
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THESE AP300 SMR’s, how many are already up & running anywhere in the world, how lond did they take to build & how much did they cost?
Answer those thre questions, then we can start stating exactly why they are not needed or wanted here.
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The Scottish Parliament should consider passing a law that any planning authority can only consider planning application that include provision for the decommissioning and storage of waste during and after the operation of the plant.
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I’m reasonably assured following the SC decision over new oil wells, that HMG’s excesses will inevitably be reigned in.
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As usual,energy policies being made by Westminster solely for the benefit and needs of England.Everything they do is seen through the prism of England as the UK state.
For Westminster,Scotland does not exist except as a place to be exploited for England’s benefit.
When,oh when are some Scots going to waken up to that reality and forget their delusions of Anglo benevolence (Thatcher) towards us.
Scotland doesn’t need nuclear power stations but England does because of it’s population issue and lack of renewable resources ( political choices).
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As observed previously on Q1 renewables generation in Scotland, that is sufficient to power and heat 3 million homes (Scotland is ca 2.5 million) such as my own at down to -16c – Renewables continue to increase capacity at a fraction the cost of nuclear to build, and cost WAY less per kWh to the consumer than nuclear.
However, if the existing grid in Scotland cannot handle what is already being produced from wind-farms etc., what else of our renewables have to be switched off to accommodate these new plants ? That should be the immediate response when Murray, Sarwar et al spout this nonsense.
And note that not a solitary SMR is operational in the UK, Europe or the USA, not even a Westinghouse AP300 at an estimated price of 1 billion USD each… 🙄 An artists impression is all you get…
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England controls the ‘national’ grid, so no investment in Scotland to accommodate renewables etc will happen while the SNP are at the helm at Holyrood. Quite worrying when the country next door controls your electricity network and supply.
I haven’t looked up who is contracted to service and oversee the national grid in their UK lately, it was a US company a few years back, but that changed. Worth seeing what’s being invested in, there will no doubt be plenty money spent expanding infrastructure in England.
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Russia/Ukraine?
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