ANIA Unit 1.3

Nuclear Site Licenses / Inspectorates / Regulators

What is a Nuclear Site License?

As required by the Nuclear Installation Act 1965, a site license is a legal document granted by the ONR that authorises the design, siting, construction, commission, modification and decommissioning of a nuclear licensed site. It allows specified processes and activities to take place through a permissioning process.

How many conditions are there as part of the Nuclear Site License?

36

What activities must a site have a license for?

• Manufacturing or storage

• Nuclear assembly

• Processing or storage

• Extraction

• Production of isotopes

What are some requirements of the nuclear site license?

• Must be granted to the primary user of the site.

• Must clearly define the site and the prescribed activities

• Have attached conditions relating to the disposal of material

• Not to be transferred to anyone else - even where ownership changes.

What are the two schedules of a Site License?

1:

• Site specific

• States the number and type of nuclear installations

2:

• Common to all sites

• Contains the 36 Site License Conditions

What is a Safety Case?

A logical and hierarchical set of documents that describes the risk in terms of hazards presented by the facility, site and the modes of operation including potential faults and accidents, and those reasonably practicable measures that need to be implemented to prevent or minimise harm.

The safety case clearly sets out the train from safety claims through arguments to evidence.

What are the three different consequences of non-compliance with the Site License Conditions?

1. Improvement Notice

2. Prohibition Notice

3. Prosecution

Describe what is meant by an ONR improvement notice.

Issued if an ONR inspector notices a contravention of a SLC and thinks it may continue. It requires the licensee to remedy the contravention.

Describe what is meant by an ONR prohibition notice.

Issued if an ONR inspector believes activities are being carried out that risk causing serious personal injury. The licensee must stop the activity immediately.

Describe what is meant by ONR prosecution.

The ONR can instigate criminal proceedings for breaches of the H&SAWA 1974.

Who can the non-compliance enforcements apply to?

Both the responsible persons or the organisation.

Who are the key regulators of the UK nuclear industry?

• The Office of Nuclear Regulation (ONR)

• The Environment Agencies

  • Environmental Agency (EA)

  • Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA)

  • Natural Resources Wales (NRW)

• Defence Nuclear Safety Regulator (DNSR)

What is the purpose of the ONR?

To provide efficient and effective regulation of the nuclear industry, holding it to account on behalf of the public.

What are the five regulatory divisions of the ONR?

• Operating facilities

• New reactors

• Sellafield, Decommissioning, Fuel & Waste

• Civil Nuclear Security

• Technical Division

What are examples of the controls and enforcement power the ONR has as per the Nuclear Installations Act 1965?

• Grant a site license to an applicant

• Attach conditions to the license, and to vary or revoke those conditions

• Vary a license, to reduce the area of the licensed site

• Consent to particular actions, usually to the commencement of a given activity

• Approve particular arrangements or documents, generally to ‘freeze’ them so they cannot be changed without agreement

• Notify the licensee that it requires certain information to be submitted

• Issue specifications to required the submission of particular documents for examination or specify that something must be done in a particular way

• Issue agreements as a means of agreeing to particular plant processes or modifications.

• Direct the licensee to shut down particular operations.

• Revoke a nuclear site license.

What are the responsibilities of the Environmental Agencies?

• Regulate the disposal of radioactive wastes and set limits to abide by.

• Consider the direct and indirect effects on humans, flora and fauna, the natural environment and cultural heritage.

• Requires environmental impact assessments (EIA) prior to granting permission for work to be carried out.

What actions may environmental agencies take to ensure regulatory compliance?

• Enforcement of prohibition notices

• Prosecution

• Site audits

What must an Environmental Impact Assessment contain?

• Project description

• Aspects of environment likely to be affected

• Measures to prevent / reduce / offset adverse effects

Summarise who is the owner of the following areas of responsibility.

• Regulation, issuing of Site License and enforcement

• Application of Site License and overall responsibility for adherence

• Adherence to Site License conditions

• Keeping, use and accumulation of radioactive material

• Disposal of radioactive material

• ONR

• Site Licensee

• Every worker on a nuclear site

• ONR

• Environmental Agency