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Wednesday 23 December 2009Asbestos Removal at Sizewell
As part of the drive to find common solutions for common problems at Magnox South sites, Sizewell A has taken a lead role in the safe removal of asbestos hazards across the company. A flagship business case, submitted in October, aims to attract NDA funding to get the work started.
In the UK alone there are 4,000 asbestos-related deaths every year; from mesothelioma, lung cancer and
asbestosis. Airborne asbestos fibres are the cause of these illnesses and the longer the plant stands dormant in the sea air, there is always the possibility that asbestos could degrade.
Projects improvement manager Alan Stewart, who is heading the campaign for its removal, explains: “There is an argument for leaving asbestos in-situ, but I believe the case for its removal is stronger. We can’t literally ‘do nothing’ because the hazard needs monitoring and making safe, and that costs money. Also, these materials get in the way of deplanting projects that we need to complete before the site enters care and maintenance.”
However, approval to proceed with the project depends completely on funding. Sizewell would require nearly £48m over ten years to remove the site’s asbestos hazard altogether. There is currently £20m in the lifetime plan for this activity, leaving a shortfall of £2.8m for each of the ten years the project would run. The site is due to learn the results of the business case submission by the end of the year.
