Hinkley Point B Power Station report - Q2 2009

Site Stakeholder Group Quarterly Report for 01/04/2009 to 30/06/2009

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 Site Stakeholder Group and covers activities associated with the regulation of safety at Hinkley Point B Power Station. These reports are distributed quarterly and are also available on the HSE’s web site at http://www.hse.gov.uk/nuclear/llc/index.htm. Site inspectors of HM Nuclear Installations Inspectorate usually attend Site Stakeholder Group meetings and will respond to questions raised there by members of the Site Stakeholder Group.

Inspections

The Nuclear Installations Inspectorate (NII) Site Inspector made inspections on the following dates during the quarter:

Hinkley Point B

21, 22, 23, 24 April 2009
20, 21, 22 May 2009
6, 9, 10, 11, 29, 30 June 2009

Nuclear Installations Inspectorate (NII) Specialist Inspectors also made visits to site during the quarter on the following dates:

11, 29, 30 June 2009

Routine matters

Inspections are undertaken at site as part of the process for monitoring compliance with:

the conditions attached by HSE/NII to the nuclear site licence;
the Health and Safety at Work etc Act (HSWA) 1974 and
regulations made under the HSWA for example the Ionising Radiations Regulations 1999 and the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999.

This entails monitoring licensee’s actions on the site in relation to incidents, operations, maintenance, projects, modifications, safety case changes and any other matters which may affect safety. The licensees/operators are required to make and implement adequate arrangements under the conditions attached to the licence in order to ensure legal compliance. Inspections seek to judge both the adequacy of these arrangements and their implementation. In this period routine inspections of Hinkley Point B covered:

Examination, Maintenance, Inspection and Testing.
Management of operations including control and supervision.
Modifications to plant, equipment and safety cases.
Staff training, qualifications and experience.
Incidents on the site.
Organisational Changes.
Radioactive waste management.
Meeting Safety Reps.
Quality Assurance and records.

In general the arrangements made and implemented by the site in response to safety requirements were deemed to be adequate in the areas inspected. However, where improvements were considered necessary, satisfactory commitments to address the issues were made by or are being sought from the licensee, and the site inspector will monitor progress during future visits. Where necessary, formal regulatory enforcement action will be taken to ensure that appropriate remedial measures are implemented to reasonably practicable timescales.

In addition to the above, the following routine matters were also covered:

A meeting was held on 8th May 2009 to discuss proposals to enhance the reactor shutdown protection systems. The licensee is assessing further improvement options, in addition to an enhancement to the nitrogen injection system. The outcome of this work will be reported to NII in September 2009.

A meeting was held on 12th May 2009 to discuss the implementation of modifications to improve the ability of the gas circulators to withstand water ingress. The activation of these modifications requires agreement by NII and the new systems are planed to be put into service later in 2009.

Non-routine matters

Licensees are required to have arrangements to respond to non-routine matters and events. NII inspectors judge the adequacy of the licensee’s response including actions taken to implement any necessary improvements. Matters of particular note considered during the current period include the following.

A joint investigation is ongoing with the Environment Agency into degradation of the fuel pond wet sump, which has developed a leak. An assessment of the structural design and condition of the fuel pond wet sump is currently being undertaken by NII specialists.

The licensee has detected elevated levels of tritium in two boreholes during routine sampling. The concentrations are low and do not present a significant risk to health and safety. The licensee has carried out tracer tests which have identified a leakage path from a drainage sump within the reactor 4 circulator hall. The licensee has provided NII with corrective action programme, including steps to prevent a reoccurrence.

Regulatory activity

Under Health and Safety legislation NII Site Inspectors, and other HSE Inspectors, may issue formal documents to ensure compliance with regulatory requirements. Under nuclear site licence conditions HSE/NII issues regulatory documents, which either permission an activity or requires some form of action to be taken; these are collectively termed Licence Instruments (LI). In addition inspectors may issue enforcement notices to secure improvements to safety.

LI 525 was issued to the licensee during the quarter approving changes to Nuclear Safety Requirements 9 - handling of fuel , in-core components and nuclear matter.

No enforcement notices were issued during the quarter.

Changes to HSE's Nuclear Directorate

The Government has put forward proposals to change the status of HSE's Nuclear Directorate (ND) to that of a Statutory Corporation under the auspices of the HSE. This is intended to enable ND, as the independent nuclear regulator of safety and security, to better meet the challenges of a changing nuclear industry over the coming years. The changes are to provide the nuclear regulator with greater flexibility and increase the accountability, transparency and openness of nuclear regulation. The Government are proposing that the statutory changes needed to bring this about will be made by a Legislative Reform Order (LRO).

This builds on the outcome of the Government initiated review of the UK's nuclear regulatory regime, led by Dr Tim Stone. The Summary Recommendations and the Government’s response were published at the end of January 2009 (available on HSE’s website: http://www.hse.gov.uk/nuclear/stonereview.htm).

A public consultation, run by DWP and DECC, on the LRO was launched on June 30th for a 12 week period, which gives the opportunity for stakeholders to comment on the proposals.

For access to this consultation please see http://decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/consultations/hse_restruct/hse_restruct.aspx

These new arrangements 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.

Subject to the outcome of the consultation and Parliamentary approval, and if the Parliamentary timetable permits, the aim is to bring the new body into being during 2010.

An internal change programme is currently operating within ND to ensure that the ND is ready to operate as a statutory corporation from spring 2010.

This programme does not in anyway compromise the current regulatory activities of ND.