British Energy Generation Ltd - Dungeness A power station report - Q1 2009

Quarterly report for 1 January 2009 to 31 March 2009

Inspections
Routine Matters
Non Routine Matters
Regulatory Activity

Foreword

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 A Site's Site Stakeholder Group (SSG) and covers activities associated with the regulation of safety at Dungeness A Site. These reports are distributed quarterly and are also available on the HSE's website. Site Inspectors of HM Nuclear Installations Inspectorate attend SSG meetings and will respond to questions raised there by members of the SSG.

Changes to HSE's Nuclear Directorate

In early 2008 the Government initiated a review into the UK's nuclear safety regulatory regime, led by Dr Tim Stone. The recommendations and the UK's Government response were published at the end of January 2009. One of the major recommendations is the decision by Government to establish the Health and Safety Executive's (HSE) Nuclear Directorate (ND) as a Statutory Corporation under the auspices of the HSE.

The creation of this new, autonomous body, (which will continue to incorporate the Office for Civil Nuclear Security and the UK Safeguards Office) will facilitate a more sustainable approach to regulating nuclear safety and security within a rapidly changing global nuclear environment and recruitment of high calibre of staff within a hardening market place for highly specialised skills.

The restructuring will not change the substance or standards of regulation or compromise the independence of the nuclear regulatory body, and will not affect the decisions it takes or the international obligations the Government requires it to meet.

Enabling work continues for the initial scoping and planning of the work-streams and programmes necessary for the Statutory Corporation to come into being from April 2010. This project has required the temporary enhancement of ND's senior management capability in order to deliver existing regulatory work and to create the Statutory Corporation.

Inspections

1. The Nuclear Installations Inspectorate (NII) Site Inspector visited Dungeness A Site during the quarter. Inspections were made on the following days:

6th to 8th January 2009
29th January 2009
17th to 19th February 2009
31st March 2009

Routine matters

2. Compliance Inspections: 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.

3. In this period routine inspections covered the following:

Emergency arrangements.
The storage of Intermediate Level Waste.
General Site condition and control of projects.

Non-routine matters

4. NII have inspected the Magnox plans to transfer active resin to a temporary store (ductile cast iron containers). Active commissioning of this equipment is subject to release of a formal hold point on the Dungeness A Regulatory Schedule.

5. NII are pleased with the progress of re-cladding work around the Turbine Hall and Reactor Buildings and re-roofing work on the Reactor 2 building. This work is regulated through milestones on the Dungeness A Regulatory Schedule as is the planned work on R1 Roof. The work will provide a safe environment for essential nuclear systems.

6. NII have also urged Magnox South Ltd to expedite work on the new Electrical Overlay System. This will replace old, obselete equipment and provide essential supplies to the Reactor Buildings and Fuel Route.

Regulatory activity

7. As part of its regulation under nuclear site licences, NII issues regulatory documents, collectively termed Licence Instruments. No instruments were issued this quarter.

8. 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.