The site-based inspection phase of the Office for Nuclear Regulation’s (ONR) themed inspection on climate change has been completed.
ONR inspectors went to Heysham 2, Sizewell B, Sellafield, Dounreay and the Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE) (Aldermaston and Burghfield) in recent months.
This is part of the Chief Nuclear Inspector’s (CNI) themed inspection, an in-depth scrutiny to establish if the nuclear industry within Great Britain is implementing arrangements to provide resilience against climate change effects.
ONR inspectors have been looking for evidence that recent climate change projections are being included in relevant safety cases and hazard definitions.
Identifying good practice and areas for improvement is a key element of the CNI themed inspection with opportunities available to develop learning across the industry and within ONR of this essential topic.
Other agencies including the Environment Agency, the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority and the Defence Nuclear Safety Regulator have joined ONR on some of the inspections at the five sites in England and Scotland.
Aside from these sites visited between April and October, other dutyholders took part in the climate change themed inspection through a self-assessment questionnaire which was completed in 2023.
The findings from the self-assessment questionnaires and the site-based inspections at Heysham 2, Sizewell B, Sellafield, Dounreay and AWE are now being collated ahead of a final industry engagement day scheduled for February at ONR’s Bootle headquarters.
A full summary report will be published next year outlining all results and conclusions from the CNI themed inspection.
These are not compliance inspections and no ratings will be provided against licence conditions.
But ONR will form an overarching judgement on whether its regulatory expectations in relation to climate change have either been met, partially met, or not met.
Alexandra Edey, an ONR Nuclear Safety Inspector, said: “This inspection was commissioned in recognition of the growing challenges that climate change is likely to present.
“To ensure activities remain safe and secure, we expect licensees to take account, in safety cases, of the reasonably foreseeable impacts of climate change during the lifetime of facilities.
“We’re pleased to have reached this significant point in the themed inspection and look forward to bringing together all our findings to present a comprehensive and informed picture to the industry of where it is positioned in terms of current resilience to climate change.”
Andy Mayall, New and Operational Nuclear Sites Manager at the Environment Agency, said: “Adaptation and resilience to climate change is crucial for our energy security, achieving net zero, and of course, nuclear and environmental safety.
“We welcome the Chief Nuclear Inspector’s themed inspection and the opportunity to work jointly on this priority area.
“Risk assessments for the potentially chronic effects of climate change is one aspect being looked at - these are required in environmental permits and consider risks such as high or low temperatures, flooding and increased storminess.”
The Chief Nuclear Inspector’s themed inspections were introduced in 2017 and are designed to examine regulatory matters that are strategic or broader in nature than ONR’s more routine regulatory inspection activities.
They also raise awareness of important issues and highlight ONR’s regulatory activities and expectations to a wider audience, in addition to the nuclear industry.
If dutyholders have any questions or comments, please contact CNIClimateChange@onr.gov.uk