The British government’s search for a nice place to dump nuclear waste is now coming with hefty grants of free money.
The waste could remain radioactive for 100,000 years.
Communities are to be paid £1m a year for as long as five years just for initial discussion and assessments for the possibility of having a radioactive burial site in their patch.
Areas which take the next step of test drilling would get £2.5m a year for between five and 15 years with "no strings attached" before deciding whether to proceed.
Such a site, called a Geological Disposal Facility, is estimated to cost £12bn and take decades to build. Once filled, it would be sealed for up to 100 years.
In the past, there had been no takers. Cumbria, the only area to express some interest, rejected the idea last year. While Copeland Borough Council was in favour of testing its geology for suitability, but the project was vetoed by Cumbria County Council.
Under the government’s new plans, councils in areas considering hosting the dump would no longer be guaranteed the right to veto construction.
The Department of Energy is keen that no one level of local government has absolute veto rights over other levels going ahead, but insisted that the community would still withdraw after the testing process, despite having received payments.
After deciding in favour of building new nuclear plants, government ministers pledged they would do this only with a credible strategy for dealing with the nuclear waste. These plans, officials said, are such a strategy.
