CNI's Annual Report
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Chief Nuclear Inspector’s annual report on Great Britain’s nuclear industry November 2020 Chief Nuclear Inspector’s annual report on Great Britain’s nuclear industry November 2020 The text of this document (this excludes, where present, the Royal Arms and all departmental or agency logos) may be reproduced free of charge in any format or medium provided that it is reproduced accurately and not in a misleading context. The material must be acknowledged as Office for Nuclear Regulation copyright and the document title specified. Where third party material has been identified, permission from the respective copyright holder must be sought. Any enquiries related to this publication should be sent to [email protected] © ONR 2020 All images copyright ONR except: page 4 – copyright Sellafield Ltd Page 20 – copyright EDF Page 26 – Crown Copyright 2020 Page 39 – Crown Copyright 2020 Page 40 – copyright Sellafield Ltd Page 54 – copyright LLW Repository Ltd Page 56 – copyright Civil Nuclear Constabulary Page 60 – copyright International Nuclear Services Ltd Page 100 – copyright EDF Version 2 published 30/11/20 to correct minor typographical errors with no material change to content. Contents Contents 2 4 14 Forewords Chief Nuclear Overview of safety Inspector’s review and security performance 20 26 40 New nuclear build Operating facilities Sellafield and decommissioning, fuel and waste sites 56 60 68 Civil nuclear security Regulation across Research and safeguards our integrated statement functions 78 102 Annex 1 – Annex 2 – Incidents reported Glossary to ONR Chief Nuclear Inspector’s annual report on Great Britain’s nuclear industry November 2020 | 1 Forewords Chief Nuclear Inspector’s • A specific case study, in which we detail conventional safety performance at foreword Hinkley Point C, highlighting our view on I am delighted to introduce my annual report performance at one of Europe’s largest on Great Britain’s (GB) nuclear industry for and most complex construction sites. 2019/20, which is the second annual report The COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic began of its kind. It provides the Office for Nuclear to affect the UK and its nuclear industry at the Regulation’s (ONR) independent, authoritative end of the reporting period. We have included view of the nuclear industry’s safety, security commentary on the initial response of the and safeguards performance. industry, the steps taken to ensure the safety Last year’s inaugural report identified three and security of operations during this difficult challenges for the industry to focus its attention period, and how it was able to demonstrate its on. During the launch event last Autumn, I was resilience. We will work with stakeholders so that encouraged to observe senior leaders from the any lessons learned from the unique challenges industry readily engage and reflect on how to posed by the pandemic are factored in to the address these challenges in a collegiate manner. continued resilience and effective stewardship This year we highlight some of the tangible of the industry. progress made, whilst emphasising the need Finally, I would like to thank those in ONR who for sustained investment in people, plant contributed to this publication, and more broadly and processes. to all our staff for their work in delivering our vision The extensive range of interventions that we to be a modern, transparent regulator delivering have completed during the year has provided trusted outcomes and value. us with a thorough understanding of the nuclear industry, and I remain satisfied that overall it has continued to meet the requisite high standards of safety and security necessary to ensure the continued protection of society. As part of our on-going commitment to openness and transparency, we have endeavoured to improve several aspects of the report’s format and content to provide greater insight and understanding of our judgements, particularly on how we have prioritised our regulatory attention. As a consequence, this report includes: • A more detailed narrative on incidents Mark Foy reported to ONR, examining trends Chief Nuclear Inspector across the sector; • Enhancements in presentational format to provide more information on the factors that have influenced the level of regulatory attention we assign to licensees and other dutyholders; and 2 | Chief Nuclear Inspector’s annual report on Great Britain’s nuclear industry November 2020 Forewords Chief Executive’s Looking internally, ONR’s operational delivery remains robust, and last year’s Integrated foreword Regulatory Review Service (IRRS) Mission to the Great Britain has an excellent nuclear safety UK provided assurance of good alignment with record. To maintain that, and protect the international safety standards and of the UK’s public we serve, ONR strives to ensure the commitment to continuous improvement. nuclear industry continues to meet the We are grateful to all our stakeholders – highest standards of safety and security dutyholders, non-governmental organisations over its full lifecycle. (NGOs), and domestic and international In this second annual report, our Chief regulators – for their support, continued feedback Nuclear Inspector, Mark Foy, confirms that and input. I also thank the many people across our sustained direction, effort and focus have the nuclear industry whose focus on safety led to tangible progress and improvements, culture remains the most important element despite the constraints arising from the global of any high hazard industry. COVID-19 pandemic. And above all, I thank ONR’s dedicated and ONR is here to protect society by securing safe professional staff who, time and time again, nuclear operations. And this role has never been show their tremendous commitment to public more important than during this pandemic. service and determination to help ONR succeed Last year’s CNI report identified three themes – even during the most testing times. requiring industry focus: management of ageing facilities; conventional health and safety performance; and delivering a holistic approach to nuclear security. In the last year, increased regulatory and industry attention in these areas has led to improvement, but there remains much to do, to improve outcomes in each of these important areas. Towards the end of the reporting period we began our response to COVID-19. We worked closely with other regulators and with all licensees to prioritise and focus our efforts, in light of public health advice, so as to deliver regulation in new ways, to protect the public, industry workers and our own staff. Adriènne Kelbie Chief Executive Now, following the end of the reporting period, we have resumed regulatory site presence, and been able to assure ourselves that industry has responded well to the additional challenges, with flexibility and resilience. In light of this experience, Mark now introduces a fourth theme, to consider adequate pandemic resilience arrangements. Chief Nuclear Inspector’s annual report on Great Britain’s nuclear industry November 2020 | 3 Chief Nuclear 1 Inspector’s review Chief Nuclear Inspector’s review 1.1 Informed by our extensive inspection Industry progress against and assessment activity, I am once again satisfied that, overall, the nuclear industry our key regulatory priorities has continued to meet the requisite 1.4 Last year, I set out three overarching themes high standards of safety and security to requiring increased industry attention: protect workers and the public. However, • Management of ageing facilities where dutyholders have fallen short of these standards, we have intervened in • Conventional health and safety a proportionate manner to ensure that performance they have plans in place to improve their • Delivering a holistic approach to performance and return to routine levels nuclear security of regulatory attention in a timely manner. 1.5 I highlighted the need for the industry to 1.2 From 1 January 2021, we will operate the critically review its strategies and plans UK State System of Accountancy and and reflect on how it can work collectively Control (SSAC) and become the domestic to deliver better outcomes in each of these safeguards regulator. The Infrastructure areas. All three themes featured in our and Projects Authority (IPA), in its latest planning for 2019/20 and beyond. rigorous review, has confirmed that the SSAC project is on track to deliver Management of ageing facilities all its objectives, providing an effective 1.6 Management of ageing facilities has safeguard capability for the UK. remained a key focus for us. This reflects 1.3 We wish to be an exemplary regulator, the significant challenges associated with and being consistent and proportionate in ageing facilities, for both operational plants our regulation is an important factor in us and those in decommissioning, including achieving this. Based on feedback from our systems and components that do not meet stakeholder survey, we have examined our modern engineering standards. approach and believe that there are areas 1.7 I am pleased to report that dutyholders where we can improve our consistency have made good progress in the and proportionality. We are developing management of ageing infrastructure and a plan, which will see us improve our facilities during the period, although there performance in these areas in the next is much work left to be done, as detailed few years. in the main body of this report. Chief Nuclear Inspector’s annual report on Great Britain’s nuclear industry November 2020 | 5 Chief Nuclear Inspector’s review 1.8 Operating Reactors. We have examined 1.10 Defence Sites. The Atomic Weapons a range of significant age-related Establishment (AWE) is progressing asset degradation problems over the reporting improvements having undertaken a period across EDF Energy Nuclear programme of periodic reviews of safety. Generation Limited (EDF-NGL) nuclear Safety upgrades to key plant have been power stations. Some of these involve completed in the Burghfield Assembly components that can be repaired or Technology Centre, and are planned at replaced, and EDF-NGL has responded other key facilities on the Aldermaston site.