Executive summary
Date(s) of inspection:
January 2025
Aim of inspection
The aim of this inspection was to gain assurance of:
- the adequate implementation of arrangements for minimising so far as is reasonably practicable the rate of production and total quantity of radioactive waste accumulated on the site at any time and for recording the waste so accumulated (Licence Condition 32); and
- the adequate implementation of arrangements for ensuring, so far as is reasonably practicable, that radioactive material and radioactive waste is at all times adequately controlled or contained so that it cannot leak or otherwise escape from such control or containment (Licence Condition 34).
This was a joint inspection with the Environment Agency.
Subject(s) of inspection
- LC32 - Accumulation of radioactive waste - Rating: Green
- LC34 - Leakage and escape of radioactive material and radioactive waste - Rating: Green
Key findings, inspector's opinions and reasons for judgement made
For LC32, the inspection focused on the management of radioactive waste including minimisation, characterisation, treatment and/or packaging, and storage pending disposal, as well as the management of radioactive waste records and inventory control. For LC34, the inspection focused on how leakage and escape is prevented, detected and repaired.
The licensee had arrangements in place for compliance with LC32 in the form of an overarching specification detailing the arrangements for the management of radioactive waste supported by a suite of supplementary specifications on specific topics such as radioactive waste characterisation and radioactive waste storage, monitoring, and inspection. Based on the sampling undertaken during this inspection, the licensee was adequately implementing these arrangements as follows:
- The licensee takes opportunities to minimise radioactive waste whilst recognising that often there are limited options for minimisation of waste generated from routine operations. An example of where minimisation has been successfully implemented was provided involving a modification to the reactor bypass circuit which resulted in extending the life of bypass blowdown filters and HEPA filters, reducing radioactive waste.
- The radioactive waste streams arising from routine operations were well characterised and understood, but there was a package of ongoing work to better understand the status of knowledge of individual facilities through a series of facility characterisation reports. Examples of reports produced for three individual facilities were viewed during the inspection.
- Facility walkdowns were undertaken of a sample of waste storage facilities, which were found to be tidy, appropriately lit, and generally managed well.
- For Low Level Waste (LLW), radioactive waste records and inventory control is managed using a bespoke computer software system, which tracks individual waste packages from when they are received at the central waste processing area through any sorting or processing to when they are packaged and transferred offsite for disposal. Inspection of waste records using waste identification numbers sampled during the walkdown of storage facilities provided evidence that the arrangements were being adequately implemented. For Intermediate Level Waste (ILW) stored in the voids, waste inventory records are held in a spreadsheet under control of the Fuel Route.
The licensee had arrangements in place for compliance with LC34 in the form of an overarching specification detailing the prevention, detecting and reporting of radioactive leaks. Based on the sampling undertaken during this inspection, the licensee was adequately implementing these arrangements as follows:
- The arrangements provided a framework to manage radioactive leaks comprising five main elements: Prevent, Detect, Assess, Notify/Report, and Repair. Sampling of records and procedures associated with the Prevent, Detect and Repair elements provided evidence that the arrangements were being adequately implemented.
- The management of radioactive leaks is done through the site asset management system and an annual report of current leaks is produced to review their current status and priority for repair.
- A specific discussion was held regarding ILW stored in the voids as, although there has been no groundwater ingress detected to date, there are cracks in the walls of the vaults. A sample of these cracks are monitored on a regular for displacement using static pins embedded in the wall either side of the cracks and the data recorded in a protected spreadsheet for trending.
Conclusion
Based on the sampling undertaken during this inspection, I judge that the licensee is adequately implementing its arrangements for compliance with LC32 and LC34, and this inspection is rated GREEN.