First can of radioactive plutonium ready for safe disposal in UK

The UK’s Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) has successfully processed its first can of radioactive plutonium residue into a stable waste form, marking a significant milestone in the long-term effort to safely dispose of 140 tonnes of civilian plutonium stored at the Sellafield site in Cumbria. This plutonium, accumulated since the 1950s through reprocessing spent nuclear fuel from both UK and international reactors, is currently stored in hazardous powder form and requires immobilization before disposal. The NDA is developing specialized technologies for this purpose, including Disposal MOX (DMOX), which produces ceramic pellets, and Hot Isostatic Pressing (HIP), which creates rock-like ceramic materials. The final immobilized waste will be disposed of in the Geological Disposal Facility (GDF) at Sellafield. This achievement represents the beginning of a cleanup process expected to span over a century, with around 400 cans of plutonium residue awaiting treatment. Supported by a government investment of £154 million over five