HSE press release E247:03 - 12 December 2003

HSE REVIEWS AWE PLC'S DECOMMISSIONING STRATEGY

The Heath and Safety Executive (HSE) has published a report on its review of the strategy of AWE plc for the decommissioning of its nuclear licensed sites. The review, held every five years, was undertaken by HSE Nuclear Installations Inspectorate (NII) in consultation with the Environment Agency.

The review considers AWE plc's strategy for decommissioning the two sites for which it holds nuclear site licences. These sites are Aldermaston and Burghfield in Berkshire. The review compares AWE plc's strategy with national and international guidance, considers the underlying assumptions made and whether the plans submitted are comprehensive and appropriate.

Key findings of the review include:

• Overall, HSE regards AWE plc's strategy to be generally appropriate at this time. The scope of the strategy for both sites is considered to be comprehensive, although for some liabilities further work is required to develop the management strategy. The overall strategy is generally sufficiently flexible to take account of changing circumstances;
• HSE strongly encourages the licensee's ongoing initiatives which have the potential to speed up the rate of decommissioning of redundant plant and reduce the future arisings of solid radioactive wastes;
• There are a number of waste streams for which AWE plc needs to develop its waste management programmes, some of which will require the provision of new waste management facilities;
• There are a number of project risks and uncertainties associated with the site strategies and liabilities estimates, some of which are not wholly within AWE plc's control. HSE believes that the licensee's cost estimate at this stage is acceptable based on current knowledge, and this will be improved by the better management tools which are being introduced;
• There are several areas where AWE plc needs to develop its strategy before the next quinquennial review; significant progress on these is already being made. HSE will progress these issues with the licensee as part of its routine regulatory work.

Notes to Editors

1. The Aldermaston and Burghfield sites and facilities are owned by the Ministry of Defence (MoD). They are operated by AWE plc under a Government-Owned-Contractor-Operated (GOCO) arrangement. AWE plc is a Nuclear Site Licensee under the Nuclear Installations Act 1965 (as amended).

2. The review was undertaken in accordance with the 1995 White Paper: 'Review of Radioactive Waste Management Policy: Final Conclusions' (Cm 2919, Department of the Environment, HMSO, 1995, ISBN 0 11 08539 5). This stated that the Government would ask all nuclear operators to draw up strategies for the decommissioning of their redundant plant and that HSE would review these strategies on a quinquennial (five-yearly) basis, in conjunction with the environment agencies.

3. Similar reviews of other licensees' strategies have been (or are being) undertaken and reported by HSE.

The report 'AWE plc's strategy for the decommissioning of its nuclear licensed sites: a review by HM Nuclear Installations Inspectorate" is available on the HSE's web site at: http://www.hse.gov.uk/nuclear/awestrategy.pdf

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