ASSET MANAGEMENT | SELLAFIELD’S LEGACY
Above: The Pile Fuel Cladding Silo under construction at Sellafield in 1951 Source: ONR
equipment issues but said, “We are satisfied that Sellafield Ltd is actively resolving these matters and expect the facility to request commencement of active commissioning in the mid- to late summer of 2023”.
Cyber security Sellafield also remains red-rated for cyber security and is likely to remain so while Sellafield addresses shortfalls reported last year. But the regulator has reduced the regulatory attention level for protective security to enhanced attention and agreed a clear action plan with Sellafield Ltd that sets out the path to return to routine attention.
ONR said, “we have worked to ensure that Sellafield Ltd’s
operational teams and leaders better understand their security risks and how these are effectively managed“.
Spent fuel management With the cessation of reprocessing at the Magnox Reprocessing Facility in July 2022, regulatory effort has been targeted on the remnant Magnox fuel that was not reprocessed and the Advanced Gas-cooled Reactor operating programme, which focuses on transporting and storing the remaining spent fuel from the shutdown AGR reactors at Sellafield. Performance of the waste vitrification plant has been
affected by plant ageing and reliability issues and remains under regulatory observation. The existing analytical services facility is now 70 years old and is suffering from the effects of ageing. ONR says enhanced attention has helped drive activities to improve the current facility structure and maintain focus on progressing a replacement facility on the Sellafield site. The work on improvements to the current facility will ensure continued safe operation until the transition into the new facility.
Industrial safety performance has been variable this
year and is a “key driver for the enhanced attention level”. Formal enforcement was required: Sellafield has developed and is implementing a fire life safety improvement plan and is developing an industrial safety improvement plan, both of which are receiving targeted regulatory oversight. ONR is also increasing its focus on Sellafield’s leadership and management.
Above: The spent fuel storage pond in Thorp 26 | November 2023 |
www.neimagazine.com
Sellafield is an extremely complex site and the legacy ponds and silos, some of which date back to the earliest days of the UK’s nuclear journey, are among the most challenging elements to resolve. Clearly, while Sellafield has made progress, technical difficulties, supply chain issues and problems with equipment reliability waste have significantly hampered their progress. ■
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