May started with the much-anticipated news that The Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR) granted a nuclear site licence for Sizewell C.
With its sister power station Hinkley Point C now well under construction, EDF Energy’s successful granting of the Sizewell C licence cements their future plans to generate more low carbon nuclear power to support the UK’s net zero plans.
Securing the nuclear site licence
Over recent months and years the ONR have worked with project stakeholders to undertake a thorough assessment and review of the Sizewell C plans prior to granting the nuclear site licence, centred around three key areas.
The capability of the organisation was assessed, including determining whether they have the expertise to safely construct and operate a nuclear facility.
Suitability of the proposed site itself was also scrutinised, to ensure it will be able to support the planned facilities.
Finally, the extensive procedures and processes for the proposed power station were reviewed, to ensure they met with legal requirements.
The nuclear site licence doesn’t mean that EDF Energy now have the green light to start work on site, as ONR’s Chief Nuclear Inspector and Chief Executive Mark Foy explained in their recent press release,
“The licensing process is fundamental in confirming that operators of a nuclear site are ready and able to meet their obligations under the nuclear site licence, to protect their workforce and the public.
The granting of this licence is one step in ONR’s process, allowing us to provide greater regulatory oversight, advice and challenge to the licensee as they progress their plans.”
It does mean however that EDF Energy can now begin to seek further regulatory permission to commence construction work. Throughout the extensive project to bring Sizewell C to life, the ONR will regulate activities on site and across the supply chain, to ensure the highest standards of quality and safety are met.
Delivering Sizewell C
This focus on quality and safety is welcomed by colleagues across the NRL Group, having supported Britain’s nuclear power industry since 1983. As CEO David Redmayne explains, the nuclear site licence is a welcomed step forward.
“We’re delighted by the announcement that the Office for Nuclear Regulation have granted Sizewell C a nuclear site licence. We’ve long been supporters of the need to build nuclear new build projects in the UK, having joined the Sizewell C Consortium in 2020 alongside our clients and industry stakeholders.
The nuclear sector provides a wealth of opportunities for people to gain technical skills and industry expertise, and we’re committed to making it as accessible as possible for people from all walks of life. To continue to offer rewarding careers in nuclear we need to have opportunities for new people entering the industry to gain best in class skills and knowledge, that will ensure we can continue to deliver high standards of quality and safety on UK nuclear projects.”
NRL’s nuclear expertise
The NRL Group has extensive experience working across the nuclear sector, including providing Non-Destructive Testing (NDT) and Recruitment expertise.
In 2020, NRL’s 40-year-old NDT business opened a new Ultrasonic qualification and inspection facility in Portishead, Bristol, to support nuclear new build opportunities on Hinkley Point C. Drawing on our radiography NDT expertise delivered on Sellafield for four decades.
NRL’s recruitment branches up and down the UK, and internationally, provide workforce solutions to support projects on nuclear power stations – from construction and statutory outages to clean up and decommissioning. This includes supporting work on Sizewell B and Hinkley Point C, as well as Heysham, Torness and Hartlepool.