The comments come as reports suggest the government is considering scrapping the “consent-based” approach for siting the GDF. The GDF is currently the only solution proposed by the government for disposing of high level nuclear waste (HLW). Work to select a GDF site should take 20 years, according to the government body responsible for the project – Nuclear Waste Services (NWS) – and a further 150 years to build, fill and close the facility. This is known as the “consent-based” approach and it has been in discussion with a few communities for a number of years. “Furthermore, it mirrors developments in Australia, where efforts to secure sites for nuclear waste disposal have, just like the UK, been repeatedly stalled by local opposition.