Health and Safety
Executive / Commission
Nuclear
LLC reports
Inspections
Routine Matters
Non Routine Matters
Regulatory Activities
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 Hunterston B Local Liaison Committee and covers activities associated with the regulation of safety at Hunterston B Nuclear Power Station. These reports are distributed quarterly. Site Inspectors of HM Nuclear Installations Inspectorate normally attend LLC meetings and will respond to any questions raised there or subsequently by members of the LLC. Any other person wishing to inquire about matters covered by this report should contact the HSE, Nuclear Directorate Information Centre on 0151 - 951 - 4103.
In addition to the site inspector's planned inspection activities, a number of other inspections were carried out, some of which involved HMNII specialist inspectors.
These inspections were in connection with the three-yearly shutdown of Reactor 3 for statutory maintenance and inspection purposes, a team inspection into event reporting across all of BE's sites and the next phase of periodic safety reports for BE's reactors.
The routine inspections for this quarter, covering a range of aspects of plant operation, maintenance, and management were completed. Reactive inspection has also been carried out, with the more significant items reported below. In areas where opportunities for improvement were identified, remedial work has been agreed with station management, with the intention of achieving improvements to current station arrangements.
In response to an observed overall increase between 2001 and 2002 in the number of safety-related events reported from British Energy sites, inspectors visited each site to see if there were any common themes and to look into the licensee's management of such events. In general, they found that the number of events in 2002 was similar to the average for earlier years, whereas 2001 had witnessed an improvement that has not been sustained at all sites. Nevertheless, the Inspectorate would prefer to see a downward trend (while not wishing to disturb the open reporting culture that was found at all the sites) and expects to be able to make recommendations to the licensee to help them achieve that, largely through better use of Operational Experience Feedback.
At Hunterston B there was a small increase in the number of events between 2001 and 2002; however, this was considered to be mainly attributable to a planned reactor outage in 2002 and a number of reactor trips.
BE submitted safety documentation to NII to justify an increase of the fuel discharge irradiation limit. BE's proposal to increase this limit is the first stage in a fuel utilization strategy aimed at reducing fuel throughput across its fleet of AGRs.
NII's assessment judged the safety documentation to be adequate and Approval number 29 was issued.
Reactor 3/Turbine Generator 7 was shut down on 7th June 2003 to carry out its three yearly maintenance, inspection and testing activities.
During the shutdown, the site inspector and a number of NII specialist inspectors have undertaken sample inspections of the licensee's arrangements for controlling and completing periodic shutdown work, its execution and its results, paying attention to matters of most safety significance.
It was reported in the last quarter that following a review of boiler tube leak faults, BE had identified the need for a revised safety case and some interim improvements. NII agreed to interim modifications and these were implemented. Following its assessment of a subsequent safety case, NII issued a licence instrument agreeing to the installation of a final modification of the Vessel Over Pressurisation Protection Equipment on Reactor 3 and 4. The modification was carried out to Reactor 3 during the shutdown and similar modifications will be made to Reactor 4 later this year.
An ehanced inspection of BE's arrangements for the production of the next phase of periodic safety reports ('PSR2') was carried out at BE's Peel Park Offices.
A craftsperson sustained injuries to his hands, arm and torso after becoming entangled on the rotating parts of a lathe in the gas circulator workshops. Potentially, this event could have resulted in far more serious and possibly fatal injuries. A Panel of Inquiry (POI) was set up by British Energy to establish the causes of this incident and to make recommendations to prevent a future occurrence. The site inspector carried own preliminary investigations into this incident and these will be followed up by further investigations by HSE.
British Energy Generation (UK) Ltd announced on 2 July 2003 its intention to close its Peel Park office in East Kilbride and transfer a number of operational jobs to its Barnwood office in Gloucester. The location of a Licensee's offices is a matter for the Licensee, but NII will need to be fully satisfied that the safety implications of the proposed move are properly addressed. British Energy has confirmed that its proposal falls within the scope of Licence Condition 36, 'Control of Organisational Change', and that it will be controlled using the arrangements made to comply with this Licence Condition. NII has told British Energy that it will not be allowed to implement this proposal until it has submitted the safety case and NII has assessed this and agreed that nuclear safety will be maintained.
The NII has powers under the Nuclear Site Licence to issue Consents, Approvals and Directions. In addition we use licence instruments to issue Specifications, Notifications and Agreements under the conditions of the licence.
During the period of this report the following were issued:
(i) Approval No. 29 issued on 12th June approved amendments to the Nuclear Safety Requirements of Hunterston B Power Station Technical Specifications to allow increased irradiated fuel burnup.(ii) Licence Instrument No. 40 was issued agreeing to the installation of the modification of the VOPPE on Reactor 3 and 4.
Published on the HSE web site 22 September 2003