WINFRITH SITE STAKEHOLDER GROUP (SSG) MEETING

Date 2nd June 2015 Venue Village Hall

Meeting Reference: June 2015

MINUTES

1. Sandra Ellis - Chair of the Winfrith SSG

Sandra Ellis (Chair of the Winfrith SSG) welcomed everyone to the meeting. A special welcome was extended to Barry Quinn who had been elected as the councillor representing the Lulworth and Winfrith Ward (Coombe Keynes, East Chaldon/, , , and Winfrith Newburgh and East Knighton), he has replaced Malcolm Barnes.

Mrs Ellis asked if there were any comments on the last set of minutes from the meeting on the 4 November 2014, no comments made.

Apologies were received from Gareth Thomas, Richard Wilson and Iain Mathieson.

The Chair continued the meeting by summarising what she had undertaken since the previous meeting.

December 2014 – the SSG Chairs met with the board of CFP, this gave an opportunity for the Chairs to gather and also a chance to meet and listen to what the board members wanted from the sites and the stakeholder groups.

February 2015 – a meeting was held in Manchester with the SSG Chairs and the NDA/CFP representatives. The meeting discussed the new Socio-Economic scheme/Strategy 3/stakeholder charter and elements of the SSGs constitutions. The NDA commented that they would like some consistency with all of the SSGs meeting and discussed the idea of a shared secretariat.

May 2015 – meeting with the NDA, this was followed by a Chairs meeting the following day. The NDA focused on the Strategy 3 consultation which will be published on Sept 17th, if any members of the group have any comments on this please find them back to [email protected]. The following day was spent with CFP representatives, who discussed the transition from RSRL into Magnox, the feedback was excellent and accolades were given the RSRL staff members who were involved.

2. Michael Dunnett – Winfrith Closure Director

WINFRITH Safety and Environment:

Mr Dunnett informed the meeting that there had been an incident at Arish Mell in December 2014. This was caused by a faulty air release value in the off shore valve house, which caused flooding in the shore valve house and onto the foreshore.

Mr Dunnett explained that monitoring showed negligible levels of radiation in the leaked water.

All discharges to the pipeline were stopped and discharge levels on site (including rain water) were monitored to prevent overflowing the capacity on site. The equipment in the value house, some of which is 50 years old was cleaned, inspected and maintained in order to be returned to operational use. Mr Dunnett explained that the valve that caused the problem was less than an inch in size and not-required for the operation of the equipment.

A full investigation was carried out and various lessons have been learnt and actions taken.

• Sump alarm failed as submerged in water. The alarm has been repositioned and rescheduled. • Equipment and processes have been modified and improved. The system for maintenance has been reviewed to take into account the age of the equipment.

Mr Dunnett summarised the incident, confirming that there was no public access to this area, no contamination, no risk. He concluded that he was pleased with a successful outcome by the team and the EA and ONR were informed throughout the incident.

Historic Waste: Good progress had been made clearing historic waste with a few hundred tonnes remaining on site.

Discussions continue with Environment Agency and Natural on end state.

Mr Dunnett explained that Environmental permits were transferred from RSRL to Magnox successfully. He also said that Winfrith has very low discharges.

Nuclear Safety: There have been no issues but a couple of recommendations from ONR relating to the Arish Mell alarms and to radiation protection at SGHWR. He also said there had been inspections of the site boundaries.

Mr Dunnett said a satisfactory security exercise was carried out earlier this year.

He also confirmed that Relicensing from RSRL to Magnox had been undertaken.

Conventional Safety: An incident occurred in Dragon where a staff member working alone in an area that had not been accessed for several years tripped on an unstuck floor plate and dislocated his shoulder. Lessons have been learnt from the incident regarding lone working and accessing unfamiliar areas.

Mr Dunnett said there had also been an incident in SGHWR where a staff member cutting pipes had cut his arm on the sharp edge of shelving. In future shelf edges will be covered as a simple protection.

The focus on slips, trips and falls continues as this is still seen to be the biggest area of risk (other than driving between Harwell and Winfrith).

Working at height workshops have been undertaken by staff who work in affected areas, a Driver Safety Education was rolled out to all staff.

Mr Dunnett commented that shared learning across all Magnox sites is a very positive.

Winfrith Programme: SGHWR The preparation work continues at SGHWR for the jacking up and slicing of the reactor core. An Invitation to Tender has been issued with tenders due to be returned on Fri 12 June. This will be the largest piece of work on the Winfrith site.

Mr Dunnett showed some before and after photos of the primary containment where stripping out continues. He explained that lots had been cleared in the last few months in a challenging high radiation and high asbestos area. He explained how the team is working from the bottom and working up through the levels to ensure all stripping out is completed in time for the jacking up of the core to take place.

In the secondary containment some unexpected challenges have been encountered with Asbestos found in paint on the walls. Concrete is being disposed of and the effluent vault has been cleared.

DRAGON Work has continued to strip and clear to enable the reactor core vessel to be pinned in place. The work is similar to SGHWR but less radiation and asbestos. Mr Dunnett explained that the last part of the work has now been started, the next stage will be the reactor core itself – this will be accessed through the top with robotics and packed into 6m3 boxes. Trials on mock-ups of the core will take place in A544 enabling cutting and robotic techniques to be tested.

ALES Optioneering work is taking place for how to decommission ALES; this involves looking at all who use ALES which includes Tradebe Inutec. East pipelines have been removed and all waste from the removal of the pipelines has now been cleared. The East buildings are due to be demolished later this financial year.

End-State: Work continues on understanding the method to reach end state, looking at the criteria and detail.

PBO: Mr Dunnett confirmed the changes to the PBO and merge of RSRL into Magnox. He explained the process to date: • CFP took over RSRL and Magnox from 1 Sept 2014. Restructuring to one organisation: Phase 1 relicensing to amalgamate RSRL and Magnox into one company was successfully achieved and RSRL was rebranded as Magnox with staff TUPE transferred as of 1 April 2015 • There is currently a consolidation process to match up Bid Assumptions to reality of progress on the sites. There will be new programmes for some sites. Winfrith programme remains mainly unchanged. Mr Dunnett went on to explain how that the Restructured Organisation will have a Programmised structure rather than being site based. This means rather than the Site Director being responsible for everything happening on site there will be a Reactor Director, Waste Director, and Asset Management etc. There will be cross-site functions such as HR, Finance and Comms etc.

Detailed documentation for these changes will be issued to the regulators this June with implementation planned for later this year.

Mr Dunnett explained that phase 3 of the process is about managing staff numbers and funding. He confirmed that there will be job losses across all 12 sites. Over the next 18 months the organisation will go from 4.5k people to 3k with a loss of 1500 jobs in 18 months.

Some job losses will be from sites where the numbers would naturally be dropping i.e. Wylfa ceasing generation, Oldbury completing its defueling, Bradwell Closure etc

The parent companies have committed to trying to find people alternative jobs where possible.Mr Dunnett said it is important that a strong organisation is maintained where the minimum number of staff to ensure safety is protected, there will be no compromise on that.

Consultations with the Trade Unions have begun and will continue to mitigate impact.

Voluntary Redundancy process has started and a 45 day minimum consultation period has commenced. The Winfrith Lifetime plan is currently being worked on, this will be completed be in August, the impact on jobs should be clearer then.

Winfrith has a big programme of work – some maybe deferred but mainly plans are unchanged. This work includes: • Primary Containments for both reactors • ITT for Dragon • Contract Award for SGHWR • EAST • ALES • Waste and 6m3 Box prototypes • Historic Waste • End State and Land remediation.

Socio-Economics: Mr Dunnett outlined the new Socio-Economic Scheme where it is possible to apply for funding through the wider Magnox Scheme. Applications will go to a panel for approval. Information on the scheme and how to apply can be found at: www.magnoxsocioeconomic.com

Gatemore Road / Green Access: Discussions are taking place regarding the potential of access through the neighbouring Dorset Green site.

A member of the audience raised an issue regarding the speed of motorists along Gatemore Rd. Mr Dunnett said there has been and there will continue to be a focus on speed for staff. However we will arrange for further communications to go out.

3. David Rushton – Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA)

Mr Rushton thanked the SSG for moving the meeting outside of the Purdha period in order to for the NDA to be involved.

He explained that a new ministerial team was in place post-election and that Amber Rudd would be the main contact within Government.

Funding Levels: • Decrease of £100m in Magnox as a whole. The Bid submitted showed a saving to the tax payer of £1bn overall. • 4 yr spending cycle for government – by autumn the outcome of the spending review should be available which will give greater insight into NDA spend for next financial year.

Mr Rushton confirmed that CFP were in the consolidation phase – comparing the detail of the bid with the realities across the sites. He explained that they needed to consolidate the 2 plans to create 1 14 yr plan. For Winfrith this will be a 7 year plan – taking the site to interim end state in 2021.

Mr Rushton went on to talk about other changes by Magnox Executive: • Safety Cases and Programmised Structure to drive efficiencies. • Managing scope to funding (no significant change for Harwell / Winfrith).

Regarding safety Mr Ruston explained that NDA monitor and expect continual improvements; using learning across 12 sites should enable the Magnox Executive to take strong action.

4. Vince Green – Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR)

Dr Green explained that he would be moving on from his post as Inspector for Winfrith and that Peter Hayes would be taking over.

Dr Green talked about 2 Winfrith Inspections during last quarter: 1. License Condition 2 – Marking of the Site Boundary: Good standard with no issues raised that needed to be resolved prior to relicensing.

2. Radiological Protection Inspection (ionizing radiation inspection: Dr Green explained that the next phases of work would mean significant potential doses as the core segmentation work takes place. The Inspection showed that the site is fully meeting radiological protection expectations with good standards. Several radiological protection related ‘hold’ points for SGHWR Core Decommissioning have now been removed due to this inspection. These hold points have been replaced by a further inspection in March 2016.

Dr Green went on to detail inspections at Harwell which considered topics that applied to Winfrith also. In these inspections the Nuclear Safety Committee and Management Systems were looked at.

Dr Green noted that the summaries for all inspections are available on the ONR website.

Arish Mell Incident: Dr Green gave an overview of the Arish Mell incident from his perspective. Key points were: • EA took the lead as the incident occurred off-site. • His follow up was to ensure that any learning applicable on site was captured. • He was satisfied that a thorough investigation had taken place. • He had made some recommendations (e.g. relating to clarity of alarm response schedules). • He was satisfied that all his recommendations had now been addressed. • He was satisfied that no further ONR action was required.

Relicensing: New PBO for Magnox and RSRL, Cavendish Fluor Partnership. Dr Green explained that in order for the PBO to move to a programmised approach a single licensee was needed for all the Magnox reactor sites, Harwell and Winfrith. Magnox Limited had requested that ONR grant it new licenses for the Harwell and Winfrith sites. At the same time the RSRL requested that its licenses for these sites be revoked.

ONR looked at various areas prior to relicensing: Capability of the organisation, Safety Case Compliance, Site and so on. The process is very in-depth. Dr Green said the ONR guidance relating to relicensing is available online. He explained that the assessment focuses on areas of change and those most significant for safety. Dr Green explained that ONR use specialist inspectors for each area.

Some questions were raised from the audience regarding Environmental monitoring:

Mrs Ellis questioned the environmental checks that are in place; Will Mathieson Magnox Winfrith’s Environmental Manager responded that checks are in place on: • Bore Holes • Rain fall • Grass • Samples Processes are reviewed against EA recommendations to ensure the checks look for the right things in the right places. The approach is agreed with EA. The annual report is available publicly to show results. Winfrith are always below notifiable levels however the correct scrutiny is always in place.

Mr Mathieson confirmed that Natural England also test.

Q: How far out from site boundary do you test? A: Mr Mathieson explained how monitoring works including reviewing how radiation can get into food chain. After data is gathered the impacts against a theoretical group are monitored. The report is available online.

5. Adam Davis – Environment Agency (EA)

Mr Davis introduced himself as lead regulator for Winfrith and also for Berkeley. He explained that this enabled him to compare and contrast which is beneficial. He said he took over from Rob Macgregor and will be assisted by Peter Reynolds who will also regulate Tradebe Inutec.

He summarized his last 2 inspections and discussed the Arish Mell incident.

Areas of focus going forward: • Higher level waste to be generated – how it will be managed • Managing Redundant plant

Permits as of 1 April transferred from RSRL to Magnox. Mr Davis explained that some permit conditions are deferred to ONR as these are also Site License conditions however EA still exercise permit control for other areas.

Organisational Restructuring / Capability: - baseline maintained - staff not distracted.

Mr Davis clarified that EA is not just about nuclear, but waste and water too, non- radiological issues are also addressed. He explained that ONR/EA have a dual role - working together effectively minimises any duplication for sites.

For Winfrith he confirmed that liquid and air releases are very low.

The Radiation in Food report (mentioned by Will Mathieson) covers details for all Nuclear sites and surrounding areas. This is produced by FSA and EA.

The UK government set a protective maximum dose limit for members of the public of 1 millisievert (mSv) per year. This standard is derived from the European EURATOM Basic Safety Standards Directive. At Winfrith, total doses remained broadly similar to previous years and the total dose from all pathways and sources of radiation was less than 0.005 millisieverts (mSv), or less than 0.5 per cent of the UK National and European dose limit.

6. Steve Withers – Senior Project Manager Balance of Site Structures (Magnox Winfrith).

Mr Withers explained that optioneering is ongoing to determine the decommissioning strategy for the ALES plant and sea pipeline (overland and sub sea sections).

ALES: ALES has been in operation for 55 yrs and is a key part of the infrastructure. The Active Liquid Effluent System was constructed in 1959 at the same time as the main Winfrith Site. The system segregates, collects, monitors and disposes of all aqueous liquid effluent from Site as four separate waste streams:- - Active - Non-active - Sewage - Surface Water

ALES decommissioning means either no longer having arises on site or alternative waste route with alternative foul system needs to be in place. ALES decommissioning is currently planned for 2017 so an alternative solution has to be in place for then.

Sea Pipeline: The Sea pipe runs 6 miles from the site and out to sea at Arish Mell. There are Break Pressure Tanks at Coombe Keynes, Air Valve and Wash out Pits along the route of the pipe and a Shore Valve House at Arish Mell. Mr Withers explained that this is particularly challenging for decommissioning as it is off site and in public domain. There are lots of stakeholders to be considered.

Mr Withers explained that yearly dives and robotic inspections are used to inspect condition of pipe. There is also monitoring equipment in the outer pipe which would identify any breach of the inner pipe.

Mr Withers outlined the optioneering process which has heavy regulatory engagement plus stakeholders / landowners. All options will be reviewed from do everything to do nothing! Screening Criteria used to determine credible options:- – Technology Readiness – Legally Compliant – Compatible with Interim and End State requirements – Achievable by Interim End Date

Mr Wither explained the timeframe for the process with engagement with the NDA and Regulators during June and July, obtaining stakeholder views during Aug/Sept 2015 and ultimately identifying a preferred option late 2015.

Mr Withers also showed a video – made in the 1960’s of the pipeline being installed. This video is available to view on youTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=td- srLLcPYM

Tradebe Inutec – Chris Jolliffe

Mr Jolliffe explained that Inutec had started as a department within UKAEA and was later acquired by Tradebe who are a global Hazardous waste management company.

Tradebe are in discussion with the NDA to purchase the freehold to land which they currently lease and are applying for a Nuclear Site License from ONR in order to continue their work once Magnox has finished on site.

Mr Jolliffe explained that regular meetings with ONR were taking place to steer them through the Nuclear Site License process. It is a very detailed process which is targeted to be completed by March 2017.

Mr Jolliffe added that Tradebe Inutec have very positive relationship with Magnox. Inutec is a commercial operation.

He said optioneering for Liquid Effluent disposal once ALES is decommissioned was taking place, this could include forbowsering waste to a sister site.

Acquisition of land (NDA): - Nuclear Site License and Freehold of land to happen as one in 2017 - Discussions with Dorset Green re: access in negotiations as with Magnox. May need to acquire more land to enable sensible access – in discussions with NDA.

Safety performance: - Safety paramount - Trade Inutec are proud and not complacent - 2015 ROSPA award winners - No RIDDORs in last 3 years

Sandra Ellis thanked all the presenters and confirmed that the next meeting would be: 3rd November 2015 at 1400 hrs

Emma Burwood SSG Secretariat Laura Cox Minutes Secretary

01305 2020317 [email protected]