Health and Safety
Executive / Commission
Nuclear
LLC reports
Inspections
Routine Matters
Non Routine Matters
Regulatory Activity
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 Berkeley and Oldbury Local Community Liaison Council and covers activities associated with the regulation of safety at Oldbury Nuclear Power Station. These reports are distributed quarterly. Site Inspectors of HM Nuclear Installations Inspectorate (part of the Health and Safety Executive's Nuclear Directorate) attend LCLC meetings and will be happy to respond to any questions raised there by members of the LCLC. Any other person wishing to inquire about matters covered by this report should contact the HSE, Nuclear Directorate Information Centre on 0151 - 951 - 4103.
The HMNII Site Inspector for the Oldbury site and other Inspectors visited on the following dates:
| 6 - 9 May 2003 | 27 - 29 May 2003 | |
| 16 - 19 June 2003 |
In this quarter-year period, planned compliance inspections were undertaken on a range of licence conditions for the fuel route systems, plus Emergency Arrangements (LC 11), and Inspection, Maintenance and Testing (LC28) site-wide. Follow-up inspections were also undertaken on Modifications (LC22) and Documents and Records (LC6).
These inspections mainly showed general compliance with the licence conditions.
However, some significant shortcomings were identified in staff failing to comply with the station's own revised policies on use of procedures for operations and maintenance tasks. The station has accepted that practices must improve and will address the problem by reviewing its policies and then ensuring they are adhered to. NII will monitor closely progress on this matter.
There were no significant events to report this quarter.
As stated in the last report, Oldbury has identified a number of recent occasions where planned modifications to the plant have been implemented without having successfully gone through all of the station's arrangements for modifications. NII is satisfied that the station has identified the causes and put in place adequate improvements to address the shortcomings.
NII continues to monitor the control block rectification project and has inspected the complex project management arrangements. These were judged acceptable.
Last year Oldbury installed the IONSIV system to remove radioactive caesium in the station pond water. The caesium has arisen from slightly contaminated irradiated fuel skips arriving from Sellafield, resulting in elevated levels of caesium in site liquid discharges.
However, the station has encountered difficulties in IONSIV operation because particulate filters in the system are been blocked regularly. These filters, now classified as radioactive waste, are being stored in the cooling ponds, but the situation is not sustainable in the longer term. The station is examining a number of options to remedy the situation. NII is working closely with the Environment Agency to ensure that environmental, safety, and radioactive waste management issues are adequately addressed in any proposed solution.
The Inspectorate has power under the licence to issue Consents, Approvals and Directions. In addition the Inspectorate uses Licence Instruments to issue Specifications and Agreements under the conditions attached to the licence.
No formal Directions, Consents, Approvals and Licence Instruments (LI) were issued during the quarter.
Published on the HSE web site 3 October 2003