- Date released
- 15 December 2020
- Request number
- 202011049
- Release of information under
- Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA)
Information requested
a) A full list of CNI Inspections undertaken between 2017-2020, in accordance with ONR Inspection Guide and ONR Guidance on your Website;
b) Copy of the CNI Inspection Reports, if not on the ONR Website. Location on ONR website if they are;
c) If no CNI Inspection have been undertaken, could ONR provided "existing" documented justification for not to undertaken these CNI Inspections;
d) Provide details of future CNI Inspections and if they are not to be undertaken, timescale for updating Inspection Guide and ONR Website to removed CNI Inspection requirement.
Information released
I confirm that under Section 1 of the FOIA we do hold the information requested. Please find a response to each of your questions in turn below.
a) A full list of CNI Inspections undertaken between 2017-2020, in accordance with ONR Inspection Guide and ONR Guidance on your Website
To date, one Chief Nuclear Inspector (CNI) inspection has been undertaken and reported in March 2018. The inspection examined whether Nuclear New Build Generation Company (NNB GenCo) Ltd.’s supply chain management arrangements for ensuring the quality of structures, systems and components supplied to Hinkley Point C (HPC) were fit for purpose. The inspection was instigated as a consequence of the records falsification issues that emerged during 2016 at Areva’s Creusot Forge facility in France - a key supplier to the HPC Project.
b) Copy of the CNI Inspection Reports, if not on the ONR Website. Location on ONR website if they are
A summary report of the CNI’s Inspection of NNB GenCo Ltd.’s Supply Chain Management Arrangements for the HPC Project is available on our website. In addition, please see the following link on our website for information released under FOI in 2018. This includes the CNI Inspection Intervention Record and supporting Contact Records generated for each of the four elements of the CNI inspection.
c) If no CNI Inspection have been undertaken, could ONR provided "existing" documented justification for not to undertaken these CNI Inspections
To date, one CNI inspection has been undertaken and reported in March 2018.
d) Provide details of future CNI Inspections and if they are not to be undertaken, timescale for updating Inspection Guide and ONR Website to removed CNI Inspection requirement
We will shortly be initiating a CNI themed inspection, which will deliver an industry-wide review of the management of ageing facilities; we will publish the outcome of this review towards the end of 2021. The CNI’s annual report on Great Britain’s nuclear industry November 2020, available on our website states that management of ageing facilities has remained a key focus for us. This reflects the significant challenges associated with ageing facilities, for both operational plants and those in decommissioning, including systems and components that do not meet modern engineering standards.
Further Information
The CNI inspections, introduced in 2017, are designed to examine regulatory matters that are strategic or broader in nature than our more routine regulatory inspection activities. They are specifically identified and commissioned by the CNI.
CNI inspections are intended to raise awareness of important issues and highlight our regulatory activities and expectations to a wider audience, in addition to the nuclear industry. A CNI inspection will usually involve engagement at a senior level and may involve multiple sites and duty holders, as well as other stakeholders. It may, as in the inspection detailed above, include international visits and engagements.
Exemptions applied
N/A
PIT (Public Interest Test) if applicable
N/A