OSART report on Torness nuclear power plant: government response
Published 4 October 2018
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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/operational-safety-review-torness-nuclear-power-station-2018-independent-report-and-government-response/osart-report-on-torness-nuclear-power-plant-government-response
Government Response to the IAEA’s OSART Report for Torness Nuclear Power Plant
Publication of the International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA) Operational Safety Review Team (OSART) mission report.
From 22 January to 8 February 2018, EDF Energy hosted an independent team of industry experts by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). The team conducted an assessment of operational safety at Torness nuclear power station. This was held at the invitation of the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy.
Torness power station is located on the east coast of Scotland and is capable of providing enough low-carbon electricity to power 2.1m homes. In terms of safety, Torness is one of the best performing stations in the UK nuclear fleet; it achieved all its safety and security Key Performance Indicators in 2017.
OSART missions aim to improve operational safety by objectively assessing safety performance using IAEA’s Safety Standards, make recommendations for improvement and identify good practices that can be shared with other Nuclear Power Plants around the world. The UK Government values these reviews highly as they make a major contribution to spreading best practice.
This OSART mission reviewed 12 areas:
- Leadership and Management for Safety
- Training and Qualification
- Operations; Maintenance
- Technical Support
- Operating Experience Feedback
- Radiation Protection
- Chemistry
- Emergency Preparedness and Response
- Accident Management
- Human, Technology & Organizational Interaction; and
- Long Term Operation
The review highlighted 8 examples of good practices at Torness and in keeping with the approach taken in peer reviews offered proposals to EDF Energy for further improvements.
The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy welcomes the report from the IAEA and looks forward to a further follow up Mission conducted by the IAEA in 2019. The UK is confident that good progress will be made by EDF Energy on the further enhancements suggested by the IAEA and recognises the positive feedback provided by IAEA on the operational safety of Torness.
The Torness report can be found here: www.gov.uk/government/publications/operational-safety-review-torness-nuclear-power-station-2018-independent-report-and-government-response
General information about OSART missions can be found on the IAEA Website.
An OSART mission is designed as a review of programmes and activities essential to operational safety. It is not a regulatory inspection, nor is it a design review or a substitute for an exhaustive assessment of the plant’s overall safety status.