Used fuel cooling and storage pond at Sellafield Nuclear Reprocessing Plant in West Cumbria, UK. Sellafield's main operation is the handling of spent fuel from Magnox reactors, the UK's first generation of nuclear power stations. New facilities will also process uranium oxide fuel rods from Advanced Gas-cooled Reactors (AGRs) and Light Water Reactors (LWRs) worldwide. On arrival, fuel elements are transferred from the transport flasks into containers & placed in the storage ponds to await reprocessing. The spent fuel is still highly radioactive and continues to generate heat. The water absorbs the heat and shields the operators from the radiation emitted by the fuel.