The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) thinks geological storage is the best option and is keen for local areas to volunteer sites to help meet its goal of putting the first waste into a disposal facility by the end of 2029.

Its consultation document suggests that desk-based studies could be used to identify possible sites put forward by local authorities.

It also sets out how these may be assessed against agreed criteria and how local and central government decisions will be made about any sites that might be put forward for more detailed geological assessment.

DECC said it has already received three expressions of interest for two areas in west Cumbria and wants more communities to come forward with potential sites for storage.

It has already established a Managing Radioactive Waste Safely programme, focusing on the long term disposal of higher activity radioactive waste in geological formations, in the hope the sector could provide skilled employment for an average of 550 people over a century.

Energy minister Charles Hendry said the plans showed the government’s intention to manage the country’s long-standing nuclear waste problem.

“The UK has a substantial legacy of radioactive waste from a variety of nuclear programmes,” he said. “This government will not simply leave it to future generations to deal with.”

Hendry also said he would ask the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority to look for ways to accelerate progress on storage to beat the 2029 goal.

European neighbours Germany and Switzerland have curtailed their nuclear policies in the wake of Fukushima, but last week’s national policy statements confirmed the UK’s intention to plough ahead with its plans for eight new reactors, despite opposition from green groups.