A NUCLEAR power station operator has sought to allay fears over controversial plans to store more waste at Bradwell Power Station.

Magnox has applied to Essex County Council to remove a planning condition barring it from storing waste removed from other power plants at Bradwell.

Two community evening events were organised to update residents in Bradwell and Mersea on the plans.

Around 30 people attended the Bradwell community evening last week.

The intermediate level waste which will be stored at Bradwell typically consists of includes sludge, sand, gravel and metal.

Peter Ireland, Magnox waste strategy manager, said: “The new Bradwell store was designed and built to accommodate the estimated volumes of ILW at the site.

“However, now we’ve retrieved the waste, some of what we had previously thought was ILW is actually low level waste (LLW) and can be disposed of via alternative disposal routes.”

Mr Ireland said there were plans to “share” Magnox stores in other regions and that not building additional stores would deliver safety, environmental and cost benefits.

An update on decommissioning at the site was also given.

Recladding of the two iconic reactor buildings is in its final stage, with the large tower cranes that have dominated the landscape during the last few years now removed.

This means that the two largest structures at the site are now almost ready for the dormant care and maintenance stage.