UK Government to Introduce New Nuclear Regulatory Body

The UK government on Tuesday said it would push forward with legislation to create a new independent statutory body to regulate the country’s nuclear power industry. The new agency, the “Office for Nuclear Regulation” (OCR), will carry out regulatory functions performed currently by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and the Department for Transport.

Minister for Employment Chris Grayling wrote in a ministerial statement that the OCR would be a new independent regulator, legally responsible for duties undertaken by the HSE’s Nuclear Directorate, including the Nuclear Installations Inspectorate, the Office for Civil Nuclear Security, and the UK Safeguards Office. The creation of the new agency—funded primarily by charges recovered from the nuclear sector—would consolidate civil nuclear and radioactive transport safety and regulation, Grayling said.

“The proposal will not affect the current regulatory requirements or standards with which industry must comply, and the vast majority of the costs of the regulator would continue to be recovered in charges from operators in the nuclear industry rather than funded by the public purse,” he wrote. “Additional organisational costs will be entirely met by the nuclear industry.”

Pending the legislation, the HSE—a national independent watchdog that oversees workplace safety issues in the UK—is expected to take steps to establish the ONR by April this year. The organization will initially be supported by the HSE, though it will have its own board. When fully operational, it will be legally separated from the HSE.

The UK, which is readying for new nuclear builds and decommissioning older projects, has been contemplating reorganizing its nuclear regulatory structure since mid-2009. The proposed legislation must pass through the parliamentary process.

Along with full fuel-cycle facilities—including major reprocessing plants—the country currently operates 19 reactors that generate about 18% of its electricity. All but one of these will be retired by 2023. The first of some 19 GW of new generation nuclear reactors are expected to be operational by about 2018, according to the World Nuclear Association.

Sources: POWERnews, HSE, World Nuclear Association.