Stephen Wickham

Principal Consultant at Galson Sciences

Speaker

Steve Wickham has degrees in Earth Sciences from Oxford University (BA Hons) and Cambridge University (PhD), and has provided over 25 years consultancy support to the nuclear industry, primarily concerning nuclear decommissioning, radioactive waste management and disposal. He has specific experience in inventory estimation, radioactive waste treatment, packaging and storage, long-term safety assessment of near-surface and deep geological disposal of radioactive waste, repository engineered barrier design, contaminant transport studies, strategic options appraisal including BPEO/BPM and other optimisation studies, and regulation and safety assessment of radioactive waste disposal facilities.

Steve has led work on storage of radioactive wastes on behalf of many UK and overseas clients including NDA, RWM, Magnox. He has undertaken studies on ageing of waste packages, monitoring environmental conditions in stores, and consideration of passive safe storage. In 2009-10 he led a review of Higher Activity Waste (HAW) interim store performance and monitoring in the UK, including compiling international examples of best practice and identification of methods for extending the life of existing stores. In 2010 he helped NDA develop a methodology for determining ILW package monitoring and inspection requirements, which included an international review of regulatory requirements, monitoring strategies and relevant statistical methodologies. In 2012 he helped NDA develop a store baselining methodology and monitoring technologies for use in stores. He has contributed to the development of the NDA’s Industry Guidance on HAW storage, including road testing Issue 1 and providing input to Issue 2. He also led revision of Issue 2 of the Guidance and production of Issue 3, which was published in 2017.