Sellafield has achieved its “most significant stride ever” in its nuclear clean-up mission.
It announced the entire bulk stocks of historic nuclear fuel are now removed from one of the site’s oldest ponds.
That means radioactivity levels at the 68-year old spent fuel pond have been cut by 70%, “vastly reducing the risk” it poses to people and the environment.
The removed fuel has been transferred to a modern storage building at Sellafield where it can be held in a far safer environment, according to Sellafield.
It is part of of the company’s 100-year mission to clean up the nuclear site.
Paul Foster, Managing Director of Sellafield Ltd, added: “This is a truly landmark moment in the decommissioning of Sellafield.
“Removing decades-old corroded fuel from an aging facility and placing into modern containment makes Sellafield and the whole of the UK, a far safer place.”
The UK Government has pledged £2 billion of initial funding for a new nuclear project at Hinkley Point.