Stations in the UK: Current Approach, Future Perspectives & Nuclear Research Needs

Transcription

1 Regulating New Nuclear Power Stations in the UK: Current Approach, Future Perspectives & Nuclear Research Needs Dr. Mike Redmond Inspector Nuclear Safety Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR) RSC 1 st Chemistry in Energy Conference 20 th 22 nd July 2015, Edinburgh, UK

2 Overview New nuclear build UK context; ONR; Who are we? What do we do? How do we do it? Regulating new nuclear power stations: Licensing; Generic Design Assessment (GDA); Research & development needs; Future perspectives.

3 Disclaimer! I am not here to promote the nuclear industry or nuclear power; UK Government (DECC), Office for Nuclear Development (OND), are facilitating new nuclear investment in the UK; I am a regulator acting in the public interest neutral.

4 UK New Nuclear Build The current position: Nuclear power generated in UK since 1956; Currently 16 power reactors generating ~18% of UK s electricity. 10 GWe capacity; Ageing fleet of predominately gas cooled reactors (1 PWR); Life extensions are being planned for the majority of the Advanced Gas Cooled Reactors (AGRs);

5 UK New Nuclear Build Plant Type Present capacity First power Expected shutdown (MWe net) Wylfa 1 Magnox Dec 2015 Dungeness B 1&2 AGR 2 x & Hartlepool 1&2 AGR 595, & Heysham I 1&2 AGR 580, & Heysham II 1&2 AGR 2 x Hinkley Point B 1&2 AGR 475, Hunterston B 1&2 AGR 475, & Torness 1&2 AGR 590, & Sizewell B PWR Total: 16 units 9373 MWe

6 UK New Nuclear Build Driver for low carbon economy. Government estimates nuclear power saves 5-12% of UK s CO 2 emissions; 2008 Government White Paper on Nuclear Power: Legislated UK will cut CO 2 emissions by 60% by 2050; In the public interest for new nuclear power stations to play a role in UK s future energy mix; Government to take active steps to facilitate construction of new nuclear power stations; Energy companies to fund, develop & build incl. full share of decommissioning & radwaste costs. es/file43006.pdf

7 UK New Nuclear Build 3 projects currently being taken forward by NNB GenCo, NuGen & Horizon Nuclear Power: Hinkley Point C, twin unit UK EPR (PWR); Moorside, AP1000 (PWR); Wylfa & Oldbury, UK ABWR (BWR)

8 UK New Nuclear Build Government 60GWe new capacity required by 2025; Industry planned 16GWe new nuclear by Proponent Site/Unit Locality Type EDF Energy n Hinkley Point C-1 Capacity (MWe gross) Construction start Start-up Somerset EPR Hinkley Point C-2 EPR EDF Energy n Sizewell C-1 Suffolk EPR? 1670?? Sizewell C-2 EPR? 1670?? Horizon Wylfa Newydd 1 Wales ABWR Horizon Wylfa Newydd 2 Wales ABWR Horizon Oldbury B-1 Gloucestershire ABWR 1380 late 2020s Horizon Oldbury B-2 Gloucestershire ABWR 1380 late 2020s NuGeneration Moorside 1 Cumbria AP NuGeneration Moorside 2 AP ? NuGeneration Moorside 3 AP ? Total planned & proposed 11 units 15,600 MWe CNNC & CGN Bradwell Hualong One 1150 GE Hitachi Sellafield Cumbria 2 x PRISM 2 x 311 Candu Energy Sellafield Cumbria 2 x Candu EC6 2 x 740

9 ONR who are we, what do we do?

10 ONR Formerly Nuclear Installation Inspectorate (NII) & part of Health & Safety Executive (HSE); ONR is now a Public Corporation established under the Energy Act 2013; Act on behalf of the public to independently regulate the UK nuclear industry. ONR s purposes: Nuclear safety; Conventional health & safety on GB nuclear sites; Nuclear security; Nuclear safeguards; Transport of radioactive materials.

11 ONR Independently regulate 37 GB nuclear sites: Power reactors; Non-power producing nuclear facilities; Decommissioning sites; Defense facilities; New nuclear build. ~ 480 staff. ~ 60% inspectors: Liverpool (majority); Cheltenham; London.

12 The Law (In Brief) The Energy Act 2013 creates ONR & responsibility to enforce relevant statutory provisions (RSPs): Sections 1; 3-6; 22 & 24A of Nuclear Installations Act 1965 (NIA 65); NISR 2003; CDG 2009 radioactive material for civil purposes; p Nuclear Site Licence (NSL) granted by ONR; GB nuclear site installing and/or operating a nuclear reactor requires a NSL; NSL granted under NIA 65 requires ONR to attach conditions standard set of 36; Health & Safety at Work Act 1974 (HSW) & RSPs - ALARP

13 Delivering Regulation UK operates a goal-setting regime; ONR sets out regulatory expectations. ti Do not prescribe how to meet legal obligations licensee determines how to do so; Encourages continuous improvement; Legal responsibility rests with the licensee; Evidence based judgments: Assessment; Permissioning (regulatory control derived from NIA 65); Inspection; Enforcement; Does the licensee understand the hazards? Are adequate measures in place to control them?

14 Generic Design Assessment (GDA) what is it?

15 GDA Background & Scope ONR licence the organisation not the reactor design; GDA separates assessment of the generic safety case from other licensing activities; Why? Sizewell B last nuclear reactor constructed in UK; Lots of lessons learnt; Pre-licensing activities undertaken not well documented; Un-resolved technical issues; Significant regulatory uncertainty when licence granted; Design and safety case on-going many aspects were reassessed through construction & commissioning.

16 GDA Background & Scope 2006 Government Energy Review; Energy Minister i requested dhse report on health lth& safety risks from new nuclear power stations; HSE s response: proposed assessment of new reactor designs in advance of site specifics pre-licensing known as GDA; Joint process between Environment Agency (discharges) & ONR; Does not consider build location; Takes place prior to financial investment decision; Early engagement with designer ( Requesting Party ) ). Identify & resolve any potential key issues & design changes required to meet UK legislative requirements long before build.

17 GDA The Process Step 1 Preparation Step 2 Fundamental overview Step 3 Overall design safety review Step 4 Detailed design assessment scrutiny uncertainty t? 3-6 mths 6-12 mths 24 mths

18 GDA - Outcomes Irresolvable Issues Not content Resolvable Issues? Content enough? No Issues Content Resolution Plans Resolve issues No DAC DAC + Assessment Findings idac + GDA Issues

19 GDA The DAC

20 GDA 1 - Progress Step 1 Preparation Step 2 Fundamental overview Step 3 Overall design safety review Step 4 Detailed design assessment Issue resolution Issue resolution AECL ACR-1000 GE-Hitachi ESBWR idac Westinghouse AP1000 EDF and AREVA UK EPR DAC July 2007 Dec 2007 June 2008 Nov 2009 Dec 2011 Dec 2012 Oct 2014 mid 2016 DAC

21 GDA 2 - Progress Step 1 Preparation Step 2 Fundamental overview Step 3 Overall design safety review Step 4 Detailed design assessment Hitachi-GE UK ABWR Jan 2013 Oct 2013 Sept 2014 Sept 2015 end 2017

22 NNB GenCo: Project Specific Progress Nov site licence granted for twin unit HPC; Design based on GDA safety case for UK EPR ; Licensee resolving GDA assessment findings. 732; 69 reactor chemistry. Horizon Nuclear Power: NSL application & potential grant running in parallel with GDA of UK ABWR. ONR providing advice. NuGen: ONR s pre-application intervention strategy produced & published.

23 Hitachi-GE s UK ABWR Boiling Water Reactor (BWR) 1350 MWe; 60 year design life; Internal recirculation pumps (no recirculation pipework); Based on Kashiwazaki-Kariwa 6/7 ABWRs (commercial operation in 1996/97).

24 Hitachi-GE s UK ABWR How has reactor chemistry contributed towards ONR s assessment of the safety of the design? Source terms (normal operations) generation & transport of radioactivity RI-ABWR-0001; ALARP operating chemistry choice RO-ABWR- 0022; Material choices RO-ABWR-0035; Radiolytic gas generation and control; Suppression pool ph control; Accident analysis source terms.

25 Research & Development Needs

26 But First.. Future Perspectives Sizewell C : Current proposals twin unit UK EPR ; Linked to HPC and financial investment decision. Chinese national energy company has expressed interest in constructing & operating an indigenous reactor design; Small Modular Reactors (SMRs): Government has asked industry for their view on the role of SMRs in the future energy mix; Feasibility study has been produced; /1627/ ibilit t d december-2014.pdf Pu disposition: Government preferred option is re-use as MOX; Alternative re-use option burning in a reactor (including SMRs). PRISM fast reactor and Enhanced CANDU 6 under consideration.

27 Research Needs Much wider than supporting new nuclear build alone: Life-extension extension of AGR fleet: plant, component and material behaviour & impact on safety; Waste management; Decommissioning; Geological disposal; Nuclear fusion. Involves many stakeholders from industry, academia, regulators, Government etc. Nuclear Innovation & Research Advisory Board (NIRAB). Holistic approach and coordination of nuclear R&D; Numerous stakeholders. Nuclear Innovation & Research Office (NIRO) Develop & undertake NIRAB s work.

28 Key themes Manufacture & construction: Research Needs Components & materials advanced fabrication technologies; Construction & installation advanced techniques. Front end fuel cycle: Fuel fabrication; Reactor design; Reactor operations; Materials behaviour; Back end fuel cycle: Spent fuel storage; Fuel recycling; Nuclear materials management; Waste management; Decommissioning.

29 Key themes (continued) Geological disposal: Research Needs Characterisation of candidate sites; Post-closure performance assessments; Safety cases: transport, operational & post-closure. Fusion: Next generation structural materials; High temperature materials; Demonstration of power production.

30 Research Needs ONR s Approach ONR has a statutory duty to conduct research and encourage dutyholders to do so; Current approach being revised and a new strategy being developed; At present: Produce a document called Nuclear Research Needs (NRN); ONR s view on what research needs to be done to support safe operations; Provides a position for ONR to judge adequacy of dutyholders research programmes; Chemistry specific examples from the 2013 NRN: PWR chemistry during commissioning & hot functional testing; Pyrophoric materials i.e. uranium hydride; Hydrogen generation & control;

31 Conclusions Nuclear will form an increased part of the energy mix to enable Government to meet legislated CO 2 emissions targets; Regulatory processes are in place to assess the suitability of new reactor designs for the UK and licence new potential operating organisations; Chemistry assessment is playing a vital role in assessing the adequacy of generic and site specific safety cases for new reactor designs; Implementing new nuclear build & dealing with the existing challenges faced by the nuclear industry will require extensive, coordinated, R&D.

32 Thank you for your attention