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. 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 should contact the HSE’s Nuclear Directorate on 0151-951-4382.
These reports are distributed quarterly and are available also from the Internet at http://www.hse.gov.uk/nuclear/index.htm.
Nuclear Safety Directorate
Health and Safety Executive
Redgrave Court
Merton Road
Bootle
Merseyside
L20 7HS
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.
HSE spent considerable effort on the preparations for reactor defuelling and safeguards to assure safe and permanent shutdown of the reactors.
In this period routine inspections covered:
Dungeness A presented their annual review of safety for the site. The review reflected on a very good safety performance over the Station’s final year of power generation with improvements evident in most of the metrics. Looking forward was difficult due to uncertainty in funding levels and uncertainty in the defuelling strategy caused by Sellafield evaporator problems.
Funding reductions have cut back most of the decommissioning projects with the exception of defuelling, dissolution of magnox debris and some minor works. The main proportion of the available funds is paying the fixed costs of the station. HSE’s principle safety expectations of Dungeness A are prompt defuelling and other hazard reduction measures. Post operational clearout of other process waste as soon as is reasonable practical and an adequate programme of decommissioning. The station will provide a new decommissioning strategy in July for HSE consideration.
HSE have yet to agree the long term aspects of this safety case. The station have agreed to undertake further work in support of the long term reliability of the installed equipment.
HSE have inspected the initial “post operational preparations” for defuelling which are now essentially complete. However, Sellafield’s reduced capacity to process spent Magnox fuel may inhibit reactor defuelling.
HSE are currently inspecting the proposed separation of Magnox Electric Ltd into two separate companies. HSE shall witness a successful period of "shadow working" before giving final consent.
HSE have found the station’s revised quality management arrangements satisfactory.
As part of its regulation under nuclear site licences, NII issues regulatory documents, collectively termed Licence Instruments. No such Instruments were issued during the reporting period.
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.