A CUMBRIAN community is taking part in international discussions regarding the underground storage of nuclear waste.

South Copeland GDF Community Partnership has formed to discuss with residents, the potential of hosting a GDF for the UK’s higher activity radioactive waste.

A Geological Disposal Facility (GDF) is a method to safely and securely dispose of higher activity radioactive waste underground.

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The South Copeland Search Area includes the electoral wards of Millom, Black Combe & Scafell.

And the South Copeland GDF Community Partnership has opened talks with international communities who have prior experience of the practice.

The Mayor of Ignace in Canada, Penny Lucas, and the Chair of the Ignace Community Nuclear Liaison Committee (ICNLC), Brad Greaves, gave a presentation online to the South Copeland GDF Community Partnership on a selection of key topics and issues which had been requested by members.

In order to progress in the UK, delivering a GDF requires a suitable site and a willing community

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Ged McGrath, Chair of the South Copeland GDF Community Partnership, said: “We were pleased to be able to speak to representatives of the Ignace Community Nuclear Liaison Committee in Canada, to understand more about their siting process, the ways in which the local community has engaged, and the benefits the process has brought and a GDF will bring to the area if it is selected.

“There is a lot that we can learn from Ignace and other communities who are considering the possibility of, or are developing a GDF, and I look forward to our Partnership continuing such conversations as we continue to engage with and understand the views of our community here in South Copeland.”

READ MORE: Events will consult South Copeland residents on underground nuclear waste