Hinkley Point C

Progress

Since giving permission for NNB Generation Company (HPC) Limited (NNB GenCo) to begin construction of the unit 1 nuclear island concrete raft in November 2018, ONR has maintained its regulatory oversight of the project as above ground structures are constructed and nuclear safety-significant systems and components are manufactured and installed.  We anticipate that our next permissioning point will be to allow NNB GenCo to begin the bulk installation of mechanical and electrical components in the unit 1 nuclear island. This represents the start of a key stage for the project involving at its peak round 4000 workers on the site.

• ONR Assessment reports relating to Hinkley Point C

Background

In November 2012, ONR granted NNB GenCo a nuclear site licence to install and operate two EPR™ pressurised water reactors at Hinkley Point C in Somerset. The nuclear site licence, together with provisions of the Energy Act 2013:

• impose legal obligations and duties upon a licensee to manage the risk to its personnel and the wider public from operations on the licensed site; and,
• give ONR the necessary powers to enforce relevant regulations and permission activity at the site.

Following a comprehensive review of the Hinkley Point C project, in September 2016 the Government announced its decision to proceed with the first new nuclear power station for a generation.  This followed EDF Energy's announcement of its final investment decision in July 2016.

In March 2017, ONR gave its consent for the start of nuclear safety-related construction.  This allowed NNB GenCo to begin placing structural concrete for the first nuclear safety-related structure on the site, the 'technical galleries'. These are a series of underground reinforced concrete structures mainly located beneath the site, connecting services such as cooling water and electricity.

Subsequent points at which ONR has given its permission for construction to proceed are:

• Start of construction of unit 1 pumping station (July 2018)
• Start of construction of unit 1 nuclear island common raft (November 2018)
• Start of mechanical, electrical, and heating, ventilation and cooling equipment bulk installation in unit 1 nuclear island (November 2021)

ONR’s regulation of Hinkley Point C construction

ONR regulates construction and installation of plant via a permissioning regime which requires a licensee to demonstrate, amongst other things, that it is capable of ensuring that the as-constructed/installed plant complies with the extant safety case and applicable UK safety standards.

Our regulation will continue throughout the Hinkley Point C new build project, including giving permission for NNB GenCo to proceed to subsequent key stages of construction, installation and commissioning.

To this end ONR’s New Reactors Division has developed a regulatory strategy for Hinkley Point C with objectives of:

• securing ONR's efficient, effective and proportionate regulation of the construction, installation and commissioning of the two EPR™ reactor units;
• gathering evidence to inform ONR’s judgement on the organisational capability of NNB GenCo and the effectiveness of its management arrangements.

Drawing on this regulatory strategy, the New Reactor Division’s intervention plan looks ahead to the construction activities expected in the next year or so and is updated regularly. The plan is designed around the following themes:

• NNB GenCo’s organisational capability
• compliance with conditions attached to the nuclear site licence
• acceptability of the as-built design and safety case
• security and nuclear material Safeguards
• conventional health & safety, including fire safety on the construction site