Waste Transfer System

The Joint European Torus (JET) was an experimental fusion tokamak, capable of operating with deuterium-tritium (D-T) plasmas, located at the Culham Centre for Fusion Energy in Oxfordshire. After 40 years of record-breaking fusion research the JET machine ceased to operate in December 2023. The tokamak and its associated facilities are now being decommissioned or repurposed. The capability to achieve this requires a full spectrum of nuclear decommissioning capabilities including dismantling and size reduction of the JET machine, processing the associated waste streams (including Intermediate-Level Waste (ILW) and Low-Level Waste (LLW)), consignment of waste material from site and repurposing existing facilities. The JET Decommissioning and Repurposing (JDR) Programme is UKAEA’s long term programme to safely decommission the JET fusion facility and repurpose the Culham site, following the completion of JET operations. The JDR Programme is undertaking the process of removing waste from the JET vessel via its Remote Handling (RH) capability. To undertake this activity, JDR requires multiple elements to be fabricated - these must work seamless together. The JDR Programme references these elements as “The Waste Transfer System”.