Welcome to the Office for Nuclear Regulation

Our responsibilities span the full lifecycle of nuclear operations from the existing reactor fleet and fuel cycle facilities, through waste management and decommissioning, to defence and other licensed and authorised sites. We also regulate the safe transport of civil nuclear and radioactive materials, oversee the protection of sensitive nuclear information and account for civil nuclear materials in line with the UK’s international safeguards obligations. As new reactor designs, small modular reactors (SMRs), and advanced nuclear technologies (ANTs) emerge, we play an essential role in enabling innovation to progress safely and securely.

All the technical skills found in any engineering based industry can be found in ONR, as well as reactor physics, radiological protection and a number of specialised areas. We are also supported by a corporate centre comprising of administrative public servants who are vital to the effective operations of ONR.

They are used to record findings and, if appropriate, any significant actions we require the site operator to carry out in order to improve matters. Publishing executive summaries of these reports is one part of our aim to be open and transparent by helping all of our stakeholders, including the public, understand our work.

We are committed to providing up to date, open and transparent content relating to our current internal instructions and guidance used to carry out our core operational work.

Alongside the Environment Agency, ONR developed the voluntary Generic Design Assessment process in response to a request from the Government following its 2006 Energy Review. We will not issue permits for new nuclear power stations unless a design and its potential operators meet the high safety, security, safeguards and environmental standards that we require.