Sellafield, Cumbria, UK

Sellafield is Europe's largest nuclear site and was the site of one of the world's worst nuclear incidents when fire broke out in one of its reactors in 1957.
According to the UK Office of Nuclear Regulation, it is also one of the most complex and hazardous nuclear sites in the world. Thousands of tonnes of nuclear waste from its former activities of nuclear power generation (1956-2003) and nuclear fuel reprocessing (1952-2022) are stored on the site. The degrading nuclear facilities, comprising more than 1000 buildings mostly decades old, present increasingly hazardous and challenging problems and an increased risk of fire.
Decommissioning Sellafield and securing its stockpile of radioactive waste will take over 100 years and may cost £260 billion, according to recent estimates.

Approx area depicted: 15 km2
Date of image: 2019