HSE reviews RRD's decommissioning strategy for Rosyth Nuclear licenced site

HSE Press Release: E111:04 - 5 August 2004

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has published a report on its review of the decommissioning strategy for Rosyth Royal Dockyard Ltd (RRD) nuclear licensed site showing that HSE considers RRD's strategy to be generally comprehensive and appropriate. HSE's Nuclear Installations Inspectorate (NII) undertook the review in consultation with the Scottish Environment Protection Agency.

The Rosyth Dockyard comprises a nuclear licensed site and a non-licensed site, both of which contain facilities used to support the refitting and maintenance of nuclear powered submarines. RRD owns and operates the Dockyard. The review considered RRD's strategy for decommissioning the nuclear licensed site in relation to regulatory guidance, the underlying assumptions made and whether the plans submitted are comprehensive and appropriate.
Key findings of the review include:

• overall, HSE considers RRD's strategy to be generally comprehensive and appropriate at this time; and
  
• RRD's approach of prompt decommissioning and planned de-licensing by end of 2009 of all areas of the site, excluding a waste store, is consistent with HSE expectations. However, RRD's strategy involves maintaining an operational store at Rosyth until 2030 to support storage and treatment for disposal of radioactive wastes. HSE would like to see further reasoning behind certain aspects of RRD's waste management strategy.

HSE will review progress with issues arising from this Review as part of its routine regulatory work.

'Rosyth Royal Dockyard Ltd's strategy for decommissioning the Rosyth nuclear licensed site: A review by HM Nuclear Installations Inspectorate' is available on HSE's web site at: http://www.hse.gov.uk/nuclear/rosythqqr.pdf

Notes to editors

1. RRD is the Nuclear Site Licensee under the Nuclear Installations Act 1965 (as amended) for the Rosyth Royal Dockyard nuclear site.

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 decommissioning 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. These quinquennial review reports, together with other reports on the activities of nuclear licensees and background information on nuclear safety regulation can be found on HSE's web site at http://www.hse.gov.uk/nuclear/index.htm

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