NuGeneration Ltd Site Investigations

Transcription

1 NuGeneration Ltd Site Investigations

2 Introducing the site assessment and radiological characterisation project NuGen has commissioned an engineering consortium - which is a joint venture of IBERDROLA Ingeniería y Construcción and Tractebel Engineering - part of the GDF SUEZ Group to develop a programme of site investigations. The purpose of this work is to investigate the radiological, geotechnical, geophysical and seismic properties of the site and subsequently determine which parts of the land, on which NuGen has an option to purchase, are best suited for the construction of a nuclear power plant. The project involves a combination of desktop and field work studies. About the option land NuGen has an option to purchase land for the construction of a nuclear power station. The land is immediately to the north and west of the Sellafield Ltd site in West Cumbria, extending to 199 hectares in size. Following the proposed site assessment, radiological characterisation works and other work if necessary, consideration will be given to exercising the option to purchase the most appropriate land depending on the area that is found to be the most suitable. NuGeneration Ltd Site Investigations About NuGen NuGen is a UK nuclear company owned by GDF SUEZ and IBERDROLA, which aims to develop a new generation nuclear power station of up to 3.6 GW on land in West Cumbria, North West England. NuGen was established in February 2009 by IBERDROLA, GDF SUEZ and Scottish and Southern Energy (SSE). Since then IBERDROLA and GDF SUEZ have taken a 50% share each after SSE decided, as a non-nuclear company, to re-focus its business strategy to on activities and technologies where it has the greatest knowledge and expertise. NuGen is a strong partnership with extensive experience of operating almost 10,000 MW of nuclear capacity across Europe, as well as developing and operating thermal and renewable power stations in the UK. The partners have more than 230,000 employees worldwide, with almost 23,000 employees in the UK. NuGen understands the importance of our plans to West Cumbria and the wider UK in terms of the positive economic, social and environmental impact. NuGen is taking a long-term approach to investing in new nuclear and we will actively work in partnership with all those interested or involved in what we do. Map of the land parcels for which NuGen has an option

3 The planned activities The current planned site investigations activities involve: Geotechnical and Hydrogeological site surveys Radiological and chemical characterisation Hydrogeological modelling Geotechnical and Hydrogeological Site Surveys The geotechnical and hydrogeological site surveys will cover the entire option area and the primary objective of these investigations is to obtain knowledge of the ground conditions and location of the bedrock. Assessments are conducted to define the thickness of the glacial till and soft sediments overlying the bedrock together with their geotechnical characteristics. The geotechnical characteristics and the physical properties of soil, rocks and groundwater will be determined through drilling (up to 150 m) and sampling, in situ testing, field geophysical measurements and laboratory testing. In this part of the project the tests carried out on site would possibly include: Investigation boreholes Static cone penetration tests Standard penetration tests Pressuremeter borings Electrical resistivity profiles Geophysical profiles Water Table measurements Implementing the site investigations field works The site investigations comprise of geotechnical surveys, groundwater sampling and soil sampling, geological investigations, hydrogeological investigations, radiological direct measurements, surface soil sampling and intrusive ground investigation. The site investigations are expected to take around 8 months to complete. Following this initial work, we may need to carry out further detailed investigations in some areas which may result in a possible 3 to 4 months extension. We expect to start work early 2012 subject to the necessary approvals being in place. Additional site investigations will be needed in the future as the project develops. Geotechnical Surveys Five deep boreholes (up to 150m deep) will be drilled in combination with five shallow borings, 40 to 60 m. Hydrogeological Investigation This investigation includes the drilling of around 60 small boreholes for the installation of piezometers and 8 pumping wells. In addition to the geotechnical survey work, there will also be some non-intrusive geophysical survey work, such as seismic refraction and electrical tomography. The equipment used to conduct these tests is not intrusive and is easily portable, usually in a four wheel drive, low ground pressure vehicle. Radiological and Chemical Characterisation of the Site It is important to note that no contamination is expected to be found on the option land but confirmation of this is part of NuGen s obligations as a nuclear developer The radiological and chemical characterisation will be determined by employing suitable field and/or laboratory measurement techniques. The work will follow a stepped approach, initially by carrying out surface radiological mapping of the site. Samples obtained from boreholes will also be investigated from a radiological point of view. Hydrogeological Modelling The quality of the groundwater and possible impact of any de-watering work undertaken during construction will be investigated and modelled as part of this assessment. 1. Geological investigation 2. A borehole is drilled to install a monitoring well 3. Pump to take ground water samples from a monitoring well 4. A water sample is taken from a monitoring well *the images shown are of work of a comparable nature only

4 Radiological Direct Measurements These measurements will be carried out across the option area using both vehicle-mounted and portable radiation detectors. Global Positioning Systems (GPS) will be used to provide location information. The information collected from the spectrometers and log locations recorded by the GPS will be logged Typical Portable/Mobile gamma spectrometers Surface Soil Sampling A sampling plan will be developed with a number of soil samples being taken from around the site Drilling rig 2. Borehole 3. Soil cores Surface soil sampling 4. Sampling device 5. Soil samples 5. Preparing soil samples to send to the lab for analysis *the images shown are of work of a comparable nature only

5 Further information from NuGen can be found at: Or contact us at: