Health and Safety
Executive / Commission
Nuclear
LLC reports
This report is issued as part of the Health and Safety Executive's commitment to make information about inspection and regulatory activities relating to the above site available to the public. It is for distribution to members of the Dungeness Power Stations’ Site Stakeholder Group (SSG) and covers activities associated with the regulation of safety at Dungeness A Nuclear Power Station. These reports are distributed quarterly and are also available on the HSE’s web site at http://www.hse.gov.uk/nuclear/llc/index.htm. Site Inspectors of HM Nuclear Installations Inspectorate attend SSG meetings and will respond to questions raised there by members of the SSG. Any other person wishing to inquire about matters covered by this report may contact the HSE’s Nuclear Directorate on 0151-951-3484/3290 .
The Nuclear Installations Inspectorate (NII) Site Inspector visited Dungeness A during the quarter. Inspections were made on the following days: -
Routine inspections are undertaken for the purpose of monitoring compliance with (i) the conditions attached by HSE to the nuclear site licences, and (ii) other relevant provisions of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974, including the Ionising Radiations Regulations 1999. In this period routine inspections covered:
These regulations implement the requirement for an environmental impact assessment (EIA) for decommissioning nuclear power reactors.
After wide consultation HSE have given Dungeness A Consent under these regulations to commence decommissioning (in 2007). We have attached conditions to the Consent to require the licensee to provide us with a copy of its environmental management plan and its subsequent revisions. Importantly, there is also a requirement for the licensee to keep the public informed on progress on a regular basis through making their environmental management plans available for public inspection. Experience so far has shown that this provides an effective means of managing potential environmental impacts.
After the station shuts down in December, defuelling and decommissioning will be the main activities. Over the past 3 months HSE have spent considerable effort in scrutinising the safety cases for defuelling and decommissioning. We are now engaging Dungeness management with a view to resolving issues with a view to permissioning defuelling and decommissioning activities in January 2007.
As part of its regulation under nuclear site licences, NII issues regulatory documents, collectively termed Licence Instruments.
A Licence Instrument (Number 508) for the DNA Magnox dissolution plant has been issued. This plant has safely and reliably processed intermediate level waste since 1995. The consent will allow DNA to actively commission “lug” dissolution within the existing dissolution process.
Under Health and Safety legislation the Site Inspector, or other HSE Inspectors, may issue formal notices to secure improvements to safety. No such notices were issued during the reporting period.