Exclusive, O1 November 2012
More than 400 of the recommendations made to improve the
safety of British nuclear plants after the Fukushima nuclear accident in Japan
last year still have to be implemented, according to the government’s Office
for Nuclear Regulation (ONR).
Military sites like the nuclear bomb factory at Aldermaston in Berkshire and the nuclear submarine yard at Devonport in Plymouth have been the slowest to match the ONR’s timetable. Of the 178 recommendations that apply to UK defence sites, 70% (120) have so failed to meet ONR’s expectations.
The French company, EDF Energy, also has a large backlog of safety issues at its nuclear power stations. According to ONR’s latest progress report, it has yet to complete half of the recommended changes (62 out of 126).
Overall, 58% (426) of all the 747 safety recommendations made for all UK nuclear sites are defined by ONR as not yet closed. Nearly a third (265) are described by ONR as needing “further development or provision of evidence/information before ONR can be content that they adequately address expectations.”
The recommendations are designed to improve the ability of nuclear facilities to withstand extreme weather and severe accidents. They include better protection against floods, fires, storms, snow and earthquakes, as well as improved back-up power supplies in emergencies.
The hundreds of uncompleted issues were “not typically indicative of a shortfall or lack or progress”, stressed an ONR spokesman. “Rather, they are an indication of complex or lengthy activities that remain, and would be expected to remain, ongoing,” he said.
At the military sites “potential improvements are not always as readily identifiable as those for nuclear power plants”, he argued. For some sites, ONR accepted that it “may not be reasonably practicable” to deal with all the issues by the end of 2014.
The spokesman pointed out that EDF Energy had completed many recommendations, and was planning to complete the remaining significant improvements by the end of 2014. But there was “more work to do”.
ONR’s deputy chief inspector, Andy Hall, said that ONR would continue to monitor progress “and, if necessary, consider enforcement action to ensure that appropriate measures are implemented.”
He added: “All those involved have responded positively, shown commitment to addressing the issues and, importantly, have made significant progress.”
According to the chief executive of EDF Energy, Vincent de Rivaz, nuclear safety was the company’s “overriding priority”. The company operates 15 reactors in the UK.
“Since the events at Fukushima in March 2011, we’ve completed in-depth reviews considering extreme natural events like earthquakes and floods,” he said. “These extensive studies assure us that the UK plants are safe to continue operation and this is a conclusion shared by the ONR.”
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