UKAEA's strategy for the decommissioning of its nuclear licensed sites

This report sets out the findings of a review by the Health and Safety Executive's Nuclear Installations Inspectorate (NIl), in consultation with the environment agencies, of the technical and some financial aspects of the decommissioning strategies for the nuclear sites operated by the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA). It has been undertaken in accordance with the Government White Paper, 'Review of Radioactive Waste Management Policy: Final Conclusions' (Cm 2919) published in 1995. UKAEA's Decommissioning Strategy that was submitted to the Nil for the quinquennial review can be seen at UKAEA's web site: http://www.ukaea.org.uk/reports/dstrategy.htm. This report is focussed on the four sites for which UKAEA holds the nuclear site licence. These sites are Dounreay in Caithness, Windscale in Cumbria, Harwell in Oxfordshire and Winfrith in Dorset. UKAEA also has a site at Culham in Oxfordshire, at which it manages the UK fusion research programme and the operation of the Joint European Torus (JET) for Euratom. Although Culham is not a nuclear licensed site, there are interactions between the Culham and Harwell strategies that have been taken into account in the review. The review compares UKAEA's strategy with national and international guidance, considers the underlying assumptions made and whether the plans are comprehensive and appropriate. The UKAEA's internal mechanisms to quantify the tasks and the necessary liability provisions are reviewed. Our overall conclusion is that, based on current knowledge, the strategies proposed by UKAEA for the decommissioning and remediation of its highly diverse sites are generally appropriate. However, we shall review the situation again in five years time to ensure that UKAEA's strategies remain appropriate should new information change current assumptions. UKAEA has an objective of continuing improvement of the safety of its facilities, and we will continue to work with UKAEA as part of our routine regulatory work to ensure the improvement programme is delivered