nuclear-news

 Dounreay inspectors raise further red flag about sodium storage

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 John O’Groat Journal, By Iain Grant, 5 Aug 23

The Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR) has issued an enforcement letter to Magnox Ltd after recording a breach of its nuclear site licence.

Sodium was used to cool the prototype fast reactor (PFR) whose closure in 1994 sounded the death knell for the experimental power plant.

Since its removal from the redundant plant, some of the highly volatile liquid metal has been stored in drums.

ONR’s latest concern follows an inspection at the end of April.

The agency has concluded that the storage arrangements do not comply with good practice. Its latest report states: “The dutyholder has failed to safely protect the drums against degradation via air and moisture ingress; large stocks of the inventory are not available for inspection due to the way in which it has been stored; and a number of the storage vessels of the material are not identified on the site maintenance system.

ONR found that Magnox – a wholly owned subsidiary of the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority – had breached the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002 and its nuclear site licence.

It followed up its enforcement letter with a ‘holding-to-account’ meeting on site in June with Magnox directors.

According to ONS, this was arranged to ‘further secure a commitment to return to compliance.”

In June, the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa) had fired off a warning letter about a minute leak of radioactive tritium from a sodium drum stored at the PFR in November last year……………………………………………..  https://www.johnogroat-journal.co.uk/news/dounreay-inspectors-raise-further-red-flag-about-sodium-stor-322156/

August 9, 2023 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | safety, UK