A guide to Nuclear Regulation in the UK 2016 update Office for Nuclear Regulation page 1 of 36 A guide to Nuclear Regulation in the UK Contents 03 Introduction 05 The UK nuclear industry 12 Safety of the nuclear industry 24 Security of the civil nuclear estate 26 Emergency planning and preparedness 28 Transport of radioactive materials 29 International activities 32 Nuclear safeguards 33 List of abbreviations 34 Further reading Office for Nuclear Regulation page 2 of 36 A guide to Nuclear Regulation in the UK Introduction The The Office for Nuclear Regulation In performing our interventions we are (ONR) independently regulates safety required to comply with the Regulators’ and security at 37 licensed nuclear sites Code, which requires regulatory frameworks in the UK. These include the existing to support business through innovation fleet of operating reactors, fuel cycle with the aim of breaking down barriers and facilities, waste management and boosting UK productivity. In addition, the decommissioning sites and the defence Government requires that UK regulatory nuclear sector. In addition, we regulate frameworks support innovation, emerging the design and construction of new technologies and the digital economy. nuclear facilities and the transport of We adopt a modern enabling regulatory nuclear and radioactive materials and approach to all aspects of our regulation, work with the international inspectorates with the aim being to achieve longer-term to ensure that safeguards obligations strategic safety and security delivery. for the UK are met. We co-operate with Our approach involves working with international regulators on safety and licensees and duty holders, and other security issues of common concern, relevant stakeholders, to seek effective including associated research. delivery against clear and prioritised The responsibility for delivering a safe safety and security outcomes. We are and secure nuclear industry rests with clear with licensees and duty-holders the nuclear industry itself. Our role, that our independence in regulatory captured in our mission statement, is to decision making is not compromised and provide efficient and effective regulation we continue to hold them to account in of the nuclear industry, holding it to accordance with our mission. account on behalf of the public. We use This guide describes our regulatory activity a wide range of regulatory tools to and explains how we carry out our work in influence positively those we regulate, a clear and straightforward manner. It puts and to encourage the achievement of the regulation of the nuclear industry into sustained excellence and continuous context showing that despite its hazards, improvement in safety and security all the activities we regulate are performed performance across the nuclear sector. in a safe and secure manner. As ONR acts on behalf of the public, it is vital that we regulate with rigour, diligence and with an appropriate level of assurance that our work is targeted and proportionate to the hazards and risks presented by the industry at the right Richard Savage quality and cost. Chief Nuclear Inspector Office for Nuclear Regulation page 3 of 36 A guide to Nuclear Regulation in the UK Regulated nuclear sites in the UK Regulated Nuclear Sites in Great Britain • Dounreay Dounreay Site Restoration Ltd Clyde Naval Base MoD • • Vulcan Naval Reactor Hunterston B EDF Energy • Test Establishment Hunterston A Magnox Ltd • MoD Chapelcross Magnox Ltd • • Rosyth Rosyth Royal Dockyard Lillyhall Studsvik UK • • Torness EDF Energy Sellafield, including • Windscale and Calderhall • Hartlepool EDF Energy Moorside NuGen • • Manufacturing site, Derby Rolls Royce Marine Power Low Level Waste • Repository Ltd • Neptunetest reactor, Derby Rolls Royce Marine Power Barrow BAE Systems • • Harwell Magnox Ltd Heysham I and II EDF Energy • • Amersham GE Healthcare Preston Springfields Fuels Ltd • • Burghfield AWE Wylfa Magnox Ltd • • Aldermaston Wylfa Newydd Horizon • AWE Capenhurst URENCO • • Sizewell C EDF Energy Trawsfynydd Magnox Ltd • • Sizewell B Berkeley Magnox Ltd • EDF Energy Oldbury Magnox Ltd • • Sizewell A Oldbury B Horizon • Magnox Ltd Cardiff GE Healthcare • • Bradwell B EDF Energy Hinkley Point C NNB GenCo • • Bradwell Hinkley Point B EDF Energy • Magnox Ltd Hinkley Point A Magnox Ltd • • Consort reactor, Winfrith Magnox Ltd • Ascot Imperial College Devonport Naval Base MoD • • Dungeness A Devonport • Magnox Ltd Devonport Royal Dockyard • Dungeness B EDF Energy Defence site Research reactor Partly operational/decommissioning Magnox reactor Advanced gas cooled Decommissioning reactor (AGR) Chemical plants and Identified by DECC as other facilities Proposed nuclear potential new build sites power station Pressurised water reactor (PWR) Office for Nuclear Regulation page 4 of 36 A guide to Nuclear Regulation in the UK The UK nuclear industry Nuclear power has been produced Today, the UK’s nuclear activity consists of: commercially since the 1950s and grew generating electricity through power- out of the policy need for a UK nuclear producing nuclear reactors; deterrent. At Windscale in Cumbria, two reactors were built to produce plutonium non-power-producing nuclear for defence purposes. These were then facilities, e.g. producing and followed at the adjacent Calder Hall site by reprocessing nuclear fuel; four energy producing reactors designed decommissioning of nuclear power to supply electricity. This saw the UK host reactors and other facilities; the world’s first commercial nuclear power station in 1956. new nuclear build; and defence facilities (licensed and non-licensed sites). Table 1: UK operating (power producing) reactors Power Station Owner Operator Reactor Electrical First Power Type Output Generation per Unit (MW) Dungeness B (two EDF Energy EDF Energy Nuclear AGR 520 1983 reactors) Generation Ltd (NGL) Hartlepool (two reactors) EDF Energy EDF Energy Nuclear AGR 595 1983 Generation Ltd (NGL) Heysham 1 (two reactors) EDF Energy EDF Energy Nuclear AGR 585 1983 Generation Ltd (NGL) Heysham 2 (two reactors) EDF Energy EDF Energy Nuclear AGR 615 1988 Generation Ltd (NGL) Hunterston B (two EDF Energy EDF Energy Nuclear AGR 430 1976 reactors) Generation Ltd (NGL) Hinkley B (two reactors) EDF Energy EDF Energy Nuclear AGR 430 1976 Generation Ltd (NGL) Torness (two reactors) EDF Energy EDF Energy Nuclear AGR 600 1988 Generation Ltd (NGL) Sizewell B (single reactor) EDF Energy EDF Energy Nuclear PWR 1188 1995 Generation Ltd (NGL) This table does not include the reactor sites that are no longer operating Office for Nuclear Regulation page 5 of 36 A guide to Nuclear Regulation in the UK Power-producing nuclear reactors There are eight operating power stations, producing electricity for the national grid with three different types of reactors (refer to Table 1). Magnox, First Generation Reactor Advanced Gas-cooled Reactors (AGR) The ten ‘first generation’ Magnox stations Seven stations owned and operated which started operation between 1956 by EDF Energy (eight if we include and 1971 were carbon dioxide gas- Heysham 1 and 2 as separate operating cooled graphite-moderated reactors reactors). These have two reactors using natural uranium fuel in a magnesium each and were commissioned between alloy cladding. The last reactor at Wylfa 1976 and 1988. They are ‘second stopped generating in December 2015. All generation’ nuclear reactors, which Magnox stations are owned by the Nuclear use enriched uranium oxide fuel in Decommissioning Authority (NDA) and stainless-steel cladding, allowing for operated under contract by Magnox Ltd. higher temperatures in the carbon They are in various stages of preperation dioxide coolant gas and more efficient for long term care and maintenance. electricity production. Wylfa power station (courtesy of Magnox Ltd) Dungeness B power station (courtesy of EDF NGL The UK’s nuclear power stations produce about 18% of the country’s electricity. Office for Nuclear Regulation page 6 of 36 A guide to Nuclear Regulation in the UK Pressurised Water Reactor (PWR) One station owned and operated by EDF Energy. Located on the Suffolk coast, Sizewell B is the UK’s newest nuclear power station. It began operations in 1995 and uses enriched uranium oxide fuel, clad in zirconium alloy. PWRs are the world’s most common type of nuclear reactor. Between them, the UK’s nuclear power stations produce about 18% of the country’s electricity. There are ten Magnox reactor stations now being decommissioned. These are: - Berkeley - Bradwell - Hinkley Point A Sizewell B power station (courtesy of EDF NGL) - Hunterston A - Sizewell A - Chapelcross - Dungeness A - Trawsfynydd - Oldbury - Wylfa Office for Nuclear Regulation page 7 of 36 A guide to Nuclear Regulation in the UK Table 2: Non-power-producing nuclear facilities Site Owner Operator Current activities Status Dounreay, NDA Dounreay Site Originally used for research, development and Decommissioning Caithness Scotland Restoration Limited prototype operation of fast reactors, it is now of the reactors being decommissioned. The site still stores used and other plants is and unused nuclear fuel, together with liquid well advanced reprocessing liquors and other waste. Winfrith, Dorset NDA Magnox Ltd Former nuclear power research and development Decommissioning site, housing laboratories and research/prototype reactors. Harwell, Oxon United Magnox Ltd Former nuclear power research and development Decommissioning Kingdom site, housing laboratories and research reactors. Atomic The site