HSE Grants decommissioning consent for Chapelcross

E127:05 29 September 2005

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has granted consent to Magnox Electric Ltd for a decommissioning project at the company's Chapelcross nuclear power station in Dumfries.

HSE has published a report explaining the reasons and considerations behind the decision, and describing conditions attached to the consent and the measures Magnox Electric Ltd will take to control any significant adverse environmental effects of the project. It also provides details of the current legal framework for nuclear safety, in particular the regulations under which consent was granted.

Mike Weightman, HSE's Director of Nuclear Safety and HM Chief Inspector of Nuclear Installations, commented: "The process of considering potential environmental impacts has involved extensive public consultation and there has been a great deal of interest shown by national bodies and local groups alike. I believe that process has been open and inclusive and I wish to thank everyone who has been involved, especially those who took the time to send comments on the documentation provided by the licensee .

"Regulators, licensee, staff and particularly the local population all have a vested interest in the effective control of environmental impacts during Chapelcross' decommissioning. Magnox Electric must provide HSE's Nuclear Installations Inspectorate with a copy of its environmental management plan, and any subsequent revisions. We also require Magnox Electric to keep the public regularly informed on progress by making these plans available for inspection. We have striven to make our decision-making process open and transparent and will continue to do so throughout the project ."

Copies of The decision on the application to carry out a decommissioning project at Chapelcross Power Station under the Nuclear Reactors (Environmental Impact Assessment for Decommissioning) Regulations 1999: A report prepared by HM Nuclear Installations Inspectorate on behalf of the Health and Safety Executive, are available from the HSE website at www.hse.gov.uk/nuclear/nuc24.pdf

Notes to editors

European Council Directive 85/337/EEC, as amended by Directive 97/11/EC, sets out a framework for assessing the effects of certain public and private projects on the environment. For decommissioning nuclear reactor projects, the Directive is implemented in Britain by the Nuclear Reactors (Environmental Impact Assessment for Decommissioning) Regulations 1999. Their aim is to involve the public, through consultation, in considering the potential environmental impact of projects, and to make the decision-making process on granting consent open and transparent.

The Regulations require a licensee to undertake an environmental impact assessment, prepare a statement summarising the environmental effects of the project, and apply to HSE for consent to carry out a decommissioning project. There is an optional stage where the licensee may request from HSE an opinion on what the environmental statement should contain (called a pre-application opinion).

BNFL, now Magnox Electric Ltd, the licensee at Chapelcross, requested a pre-application opinion in November 2003. HSE undertook a public consultation and provided its opinion in March 2004. BNFL applied for consent and provided an environmental statement in October 2004. A further public consultation was undertaken, which ended in January 2005. Both consultations involved around 60 organisations.

HSE granted Magnox Electric Ltd consent to carry out a decommissioning project at Chapelcross on 26 September 2005.

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