- Site: Sellafield
- IR number: 21-187
- Date: March 2022
- LC numbers: 35
Executive summary
Purpose of Intervention
In accordance with the Office for Nuclear Regulation’s (ONR’s) Sellafield Strategy, each year ONR performs a series of planned compliance inspections of selected licence conditions, targeted at those facilities with significant importance to nuclear safety.
The purpose of these planned compliance inspections was to confirm that Sellafield Limited (SL) adequately implemented its arrangements for LC35 (Decommissioning) at the Magnox Reprocessing Facility (MRF).
Interventions Carried Out by ONR
The inspection of LC35 compliance at the MRF was undertaken on the 9 March 2022 by the ONR Site Inspector and a Nuclear Liabilities Regulation Specialist Nuclear Equivalent Inspector.
The inspection sought evidence of compliance with LC35, with a focus on the preparations for entry into the Post Operational Clean Out (POCO) phase at the MRF. This was achieved through a combination of reviewing documentary evidence, sampling records and discussions with staff.
LC35 requires the licensee to make and implement adequate arrangements for the decommissioning of any plant or process which may affect safety.
The following ONR guidance was used as a basis of regulatory expectations for the inspections:
- ONR-INSP-GD-059 Revision 8, Guidance for Intervention Planning and Reporting.
- ONR-INSP-GD-064 Revision 5, General Inspection Guide.
- NS-TAST-GD-026 Revision 6, Decommissioning.
- NS-INSP-GD-035 Revision 6 LC35: Decommissioning.
- Safety Assessment Principles, particularly RW1-RW7 and DC1-DC9 inclusive
Explanation of Judgement if Safety System Not Judged to be Adequate
This was not a system-based inspection.
Key Findings, Inspector's Opinions and Reasons for Judgements Made
In relation to LC35, ONR found that Sellafield Limited was able to demonstrate adequate implementation of the corporate arrangements for LC35 at MRF. It was evident that Sellafield Limited has undertaken preparation work for entry into POCO which has taken account of learning from THORP and other POCO across the site. Sellafield were open and transparent in recognising aspects of POCO Preparation where there are currently risks and where there is scope for improvement, for example risks to characterisation resource and staff resource at MRF during the POCO Phase. Sellafield provided evidence that they have staff in the key roles with responsibility for planning and delivery of POCO at MRF, and the facility is suitably engaged with the POCO Central Group to facilitate the sharing of POCO progress and learning from experience (LFE).
On balance, based on the evidence sampled as part of this inspection, we judged that the required standard is met and an inspection rating of Green (no formal action) was appropriate against LC35.
Conclusion of Intervention
Taking the above key findings into account, and noting the ONR guidance on inspection ratings, we judged that the licensee has adequately implemented its arrangements for compliance with LC35 at the MRF. We therefore considered that an inspection rating of Green (No Formal Action) was merited.