We regulate the safe and secure management of spent fuel, or irradiated nuclear fuel, including but not limited to: storage (wet or dry), transport and reprocessing activities (if applicable).
- For nuclear safety, we do this primarily through seeking compliance against the licence conditions (LC) and permissioning related activities.
- For transport, ONR is the Competent Authority (CA) within Great Britain for the civil inland surface transport of radioactive material (Class 7) dangerous goods. The duties of the CA include ensuring compliance against the Carriage of Dangerous Goods and Use of Transportable Pressure Equipment Regulations 2009 (CDG09). Additionally, higher hazards are regulated by a permissioning regime and certain designs and activities require prior CA approval. Further information can be found on the transport of radioactive material webpages.
- For security, we do this primarily via regulatory inspections to assess and test security arrangements for spent fuel and to assure compliance with Nuclear Industries Security Regulations (NISR) 2003. An established set of outcome focused Security Assessment Principles both supports the licence holder’s security decision making and provides a framework for inspectors to assess security arrangements and make regulatory judgements.
- For safeguards, we do this primarily through the Nuclear Safeguards (EU Exit) Regulations 2019 (NSR19), and through meeting our international safeguards obligations with the International Atomic Energy Agency and nuclear cooperation agreement partners. To assist with the assessment of operators compliance with NSR19 a set of principles, the ONR Nuclear Material Accountacy, Control and Safeguards have been established. While there are no specific principles for the management of spent fuel, they refer to qualifying nuclear material which should be considered as relevant good practice for spent fuel.
Further guides about security and safeguards can be found on the civil nuclear security and safeguards webpages.
A nuclear site licence is required specifically for the processing and storage of irradiated nuclear fuel. Further details can be found in ONR’s licensing nuclear installations guidance. Regulation applies throughout the period of onsite storage of spent fuel, including the extended periods anticipated prior to transfer for disposal in a geological disposal facility.
For nuclear safety, under the Energy Act 2008, operators of new nuclear power stations are required to prepare a Decommissioning and Waste Management Plan which outlines the steps involved in decommissioning the site and the management and disposal of hazardous wastes and spent fuel. This plan includes aspects such as construction and maintenance of any storage facilities not constructed as part of the initial installation and which may be required duringthe extended storage periods anticipated after the reactors cease operation. We are a statutory consultee on the Decommissioning and Waste Management Plan, providing advice to government on whether it meets regulatory expectations for the safe and secure storage over the site’s lifetime. This includes ensuring spent fuel can be retrieved from the storage facility for future lifecycle stages such as re-packaging, encapsulation and transport off site.
While we do not have specific safety assessment principles for the management of spent fuel, wherever the Safety Assessment Principles refer to 'nuclear matter' these should be considered relevant good practice for spent fuel. Guidance to our inspectors on the safety aspects specific to the storage of spent nuclear fuel is available in technical assessment guide NS-TAST-GD-081. This includes reference to specific safety assessment principles and international standards which are considered relevant good practice.
We also expect consideration of relevant good practice to minimise the rate of production of radioactive waste from any spent fuel management activities. Therefore, the safety assessment principles for radioactive waste management concerned with minimisation of the generation, preparation of a strategy for management of radioactive waste, segregation and characterisation, safe storage and timescales for passive safety, and creation of appropriate records also apply.