Peer Review Looks At UK Preparations To License New Reactor Designs
Written by NucNet
Wednesday, 14 October 2009
UK nuclear regulators have made significant progress toward improving effectiveness in regulating existing nuclear power plants and in preparing to license new nuclear reactor designs, according to a peer review mission.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said a 10-day Integrated Regulatory Review Service (IRRS) mission, which ended yesterday, was the second of three planned for the UK. The first, held in March 2006, began the process of assessing the country’s readiness to regulate and license new reactor designs.
The latest mission led by William Borchardt, executive director of operations from the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission, reviewed the progress of the Health and Safety Executive’s Nuclear Directorate (HSE/ND) and concluded that the findings of the 2006 review had been fully addressed and could be considered closed . Other issues are being addressed under a “comprehensive action plan”, the IAEA said.
The team of 10 IRRS members was assembled by the IAEA to conduct the review at the request of the UK government. Team members visited the Heysham-1 nuclear plant in Lancashire, the Sellafield site in Cumbria and the Strategic Control Centre at Hutton.
Following a decision by the government to re-establish the ND as an independent ‘Statutory Corporation’, with the support of the HSE, IRRS team members conducted a review of transition arrangements. The new body will be created in 2010 subject to legislation being approved by parliament.
The IAEA said the team concluded that it was of “vital importance” to take several fundamental principles into account during and after the transition, including effective independence and technical and managerial competence. “ND has developed and is implementing a comprehensive programme for this transition process,” the IAEA said.
Mike Weightman, head of ND and the UK’s chief inspector of nuclear installations, said: "This review comes at a most important time for us with the government’s proposal to provide us with more freedom and independence to better meet challenges of a changing nuclear industry.”
Details of the proposed changes to the ND are available on the HSE’s website
