Scottish Nuclear is dedicated to generating electricity from nuclear power as safely and effectively as possible at its two sites Hunterston and Torness and provides up to half od Scotland's total electrical requirements. (It should be noted that a visit by Members has been planned to the Torness Nuclear Power Station on 14th March 1995.)

Mr Cathro will discuss the technical problems of reprocessing and long term storage of spent nuclear fuel from these nuclear power stations. Presently, spent fuel is transported to British Nuclear Fuel's (BNFL) plant at Seafield, Cumbria for reprocessing.

Plutonium, a product of reprocessing, would be required as fuel for fast breeder reactor power stations. However, the commercial application of fast breeder technology in the UK is not now expected until the middle of the next century in part due to the relative abundance of uranium for an extended thermal reactor programme. Hence the technical and economic debate on reprocessing and long term storage of fuel.