Rosyth families told 'good progress' being made on dismantling seven nuclear submarines in Rosyth

An update on the progress of the Submarine Dismantling Project (SDP), which is being handled by Babcock in conjunction with the MoD, was given to the December meeting of Rosyth Community Council by Fife Council's Protective Services senior manager, Roy Stewart.

The SDP is the MoD's programme to deliver what they described as a "safe, secure and environmentally-responsible solution" for dismantling 27 defuelled submarines that have come to the end of their operational life.

Seven subs are being dismantled at Rosyth, with a further 12 at Devonport in Plymouth, but the project has caused controversy over a lack of consultation with the local community and where a storage site for Intermediate Level Radioactive Waste (ILW) - which is contained in the submarine's Reactor Pressure Vessel (RPV) - will be stored.

In a presentation to the community council, Mr Stewart said that the key elements of the programme were beginning to take shape, including the de-licensing of dock number three area, which remains "on target with the Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR) to conclude in December 2015".

He also outlined that work to equip dock number two with the infrastructure required to enable the Low Level Waste (LLW) to be removed from the demonstrator submarine (Swiftsure) is "progressing to programme", which the submarine docking cradle, portal crane, security fence at dock number two and a replacement dock gate have been completed.

An in-dock installation support platform is due to be completed in February and it is anticipated that following the completion of dock number two upgrade works, Swiftsure will dock down in May to allow LLW removal work to commence.

Another meeting of the Rosyth Local Liaison Committee is scheduled for April 27, where there will be an opportunity for members to visit the Active Waste Accumulation Facility (AWAF), where ILW is currently stored until a disposal route is confirmed.