Executive summary
Date(s) of inspection:
December 2025
Aim of inspection
The aim of this inspection is to determine whether the safety systems, structures and components associated with the essential services (steam, electrical, air, water) in the First generation Magnox Storage Pond (FGMSP) are able to adequately fulfil their safety duties (safety functional requirements), in line with claims made within the safety case.
This inspection will seek confidence that the licensee’s arrangements and systems provision are suitable to support ongoing and future retrievals activities at the facility and to confirm that essential services considerations do not pose a risk to delivery of key decommissioning milestones (KDM) such as KDM18 and KDM19.
Aligns to SDFW Focus Areas:
- S1 Deliver nuclear site health and safety, nuclear safety, security, transport and safeguards compliance, investigation and enforcement
- S2 Enable HHRR activities including Pond and Silo Retrievals, Remediation, SNM and analytical capability
- S7 Review asset management and obsolescence management at Sellafield appropriate for facility ages and conditions.
Subject(s) of inspection
- LC10 - Training - Rating: Not rated
- LC23 - Operating rules - Rating: Green
- LC24 - Operating instructions - Rating: Green
- LC27 - Safety mechanisms, devices and circuits - Rating: Green
- LC28 - Examination, inspection, maintenance and testing - Rating: Green
Key findings, inspector's opinions and reasons for judgement made
Sellafield Limited provided an adequate level of assurance and evidence during my inspection to demonstrate compliance with the requirements of LC23, LC24, LC27 and LC28.
Based on the evidence sampled, I judge that Sellafield Limited has adequate arrangements for the management and maintenance of essential services SSCs at the First generation Magnox Storage Pond, that these arrangements are implemented in a proportionate and appropriate manner, and that they meet relevant ONR expectations.
I did not identify any significant shortfalls against the requirements of LC23, LC24, LC27 and LC28.
Training and SQEP elements were sampled as part of LC28(6) and as such contributed to the LC28 rating rather than a standalone LC10 rating for this inspection.
I sampled asset management arrangements at the facility and found that the approach taken by the FGMSP facility is aligned to relevant good practice and meets my regulatory expectations. I base this judgement on the delivery and on-going planning for Asset Management Plans (AMPs) aligned to corporate processes, the updating of the Technical Basis of Maintenance (TBoMs) utilising learning from experience and the development of SQEP engineering capability.
I stated that it is likely there will be on-going engagement in terms of asset management to provide regulatory assurance that the physical improvements detailed in the AMPs are delivered.
Conclusion
Upon consideration of the ONR guidance on inspection ratings, I judge that a rating of GREEN (no formal action) is appropriate for each of the license conditions sampled.
I provided feedback to Sellafield Limited on the inspection findings at the close-out meeting on site.