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 Berkeley Nuclear Licensed Site (BNLS) Site Stakeholder Group (SSG) and covers activities associated with the regulation of safety at BNLS. These reports are distributed quarterly and are available also from the Internet at http://www.hse.gov.uk/nuclear/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 should contact the HSE’s Nuclear Directorate on 0151-951-3484/3290.
Nuclear Directorate
Health and Safety Executive
Redgrave Court
Merton Road
Bootle
Merseyside
L20 7HS
Berkeley was visited for routine inspections and meetings on three occasion during this quarter. The visits were made on the following dates:
8 – 10 January
4 – 6 March
25 – 26 March
The main thrust in this period has been concerned with Berkeley’s continued compliance with the requirements of the Nuclear Site Licence. Decommissioning project work has been deferred following reduced NDA funding.
A final inspection of the post Active Effluent Treatment Plant overflow event site wide Improvement Programme was undertaken on 6 March 2008. The NII Site Inspector judged that all recovery actions had been adequately addressed and that final close out of the recovery Quality Plan should be managed and signed off by relevant site managers, under normal site arrangements.
Magnox South has responded to NDA funding cuts by deferring the planned Intermediate Level Waste retrieval, treatment and storage projects at Berkeley.
In response to these deferrals, an NII team visited the Berkeley site on 8–10 January 2008 on a fact finding inspection. The team found evidence that Berkeley are not compliant with elements of the Nuclear Site Licence that relate to decommissioning operations. NII wrote formally to the Berkeley Site Director on 24th January and are considering appropriate regulatory action.
The Inspectorate has powers under the Nuclear Site 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.
Licence Instrument 513 was issued for the Approval on 28 March 2008 of the Berkeley Nuclear Licensed Site Emergency Plan Issue 12.