The Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR) has found that challenges remain within the UK's nuclear industry for the management of ageing facilities - although inspections have shown welcome recent improvements.
ONR has published a 47-page report looking at how the nuclear sector manages ageing plants and facilities to ensure the necessary standards of safety and security are maintained.
The Chief Nuclear Inspector’s themed inspection on the management of ageing facilities has brought to light variations between licensees in performance for managing ageing assets - and while there were many examples of good practice - significant challenges still need to be addressed.
A series of targeted ONR inspections, carried out during a period of five months, focused specifically on the management of ageing facilities, with five licensees selected as a representative sample of the industry.
They were the Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE Plc), in Aldermaston and Burghfield, Berkshire, EDF Energy Nuclear Generation Limited, at Sizewell B Power Station in Suffolk, Devonport Royal Dockyard Ltd (DRDL) in Plymouth, Magnox Limited, at Hinkley Point A in Somerset, and Sellafield Ltd, in Cumbria.