THE nuclear submarine dismantling project is making good progress at Rosyth with the time taken to deal with each boat speeding up.
Seven have been laid up at the dockyard for decades and the Ministry of Defence said most of the low-level waste has now been removed from Swiftsure, Resolution, Revenge and Repulse.
The project will eventually see 27 subs dismantled and disposed of with the remaining metals recycled and turned into "tin cans and razor blades".
There are 22 that have already left service, seven are at Rosyth - Dreadnought has been there so long, since 1980, that most of the low-level radiation has "disappeared naturally" - and 15 at Devonport, Plymouth.
Storage costs are £30 million a year.
The MoD said: "With each submarine that is processed, more waste has been managed to final disposal, at a faster rate and at lower cost as techniques have been refined and optimised.
"For example, on Resolution, 50 per cent greater tonnage of waste was removed in three quarters of the time that Swiftsure had taken.
"This work has to date been successfully completed safely, on time, within budget and minimising any environmental impact."
READ MORE: Assurances sought that Rosyth's old nuclear subs won't go to Australia
The project to dismantle the old nuclear submarines was approved in 2013 and described as "highly complex".
There are three stages: removing low-level radioactive waste; removing the reactor pressure vessel, it's described as intermediate level waste and the component that remains radioactive for the longest period; and, once all radioactive material has gone, recycling.
Work started on Swiftsure in 2015-16 and the Rosyth team have learned lessons as they go, allowing them to remove more low-level waste from Resolution, Revenge and Repulse.
They then moved onto a "world first", the removal of the reactor from Revenge, the most radioactive part left in the sub, as well as the steam generators.
Earlier this year Babcock tabled plans for a new building at Rosyth Dockyard to dismantle the boats.
A separate application was previously submitted for a metal waste disposal facility at the corner of Wood Road and Caledonia Road.
Once all the radioactive waste has been removed, around 90 per cent of the remaining materials will be recycled.
Local councillors were told, in November 2022, of a UK Government pledge to "de-nuclearise Rosyth" by 2035.
Gordon McAughey, head of internal assurance at Babcock, had added: "Hopefully, by 2026, the skyline change at Rosyth will occur where the first boat will be gone, it will be tin cans and razor blades."
The MoD update also explained: "UK submarines are powered by nuclear reactors. During a submarine’s life cycle, normal nuclear operations cause radioactive substances to be deposited in the pipework and components within the reactor compartment.
"This can cause some parts of the nuclear reactor itself to become radioactive. This radioactivity is in addition to the nuclear fuel which powers the reactor. The radioactive parts of the submarine remain radioactive, even after the fuel is removed.
"This means that safe management is required even after the submarine leaves service and the fuel has been removed.
"Decommissioned submarines that are being stored and are waiting to be de-fuelled and dismantled pose no safety risk to workers or members of the public.
"They undergo a regular programme of survey and maintenance, including in-water inspections to preserve and test the systems and ensure the integrity of their hull."
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here