nuclear-news

Three formal ‘special measures’ notices remain in place amid ongoing safety issues at Dounreay

 By Iain Grant, 22 September 2025

  Dounreay remains under ‘enhanced’ oversight from
its regulators over ongoing safety issues which have been flagged up at the
plant. While some have been resolved, three formal notices remain in force
including the need to improve the storage of drums containing radioactive
sodium and to better control the risk posed by ‘dangerous substances and
explosive atmospheres. ‘

The Office for Nuclear Regulation announced in June
last year that Dounreay was in “enhanced regulatory attention for
safety.” It had a raft of concerns covering ageing, deteriorating plant,
radioactive leaks and the storage of chemical and radioactive materials.

NRS Dounreay managing director Dave Wilson claims good progress has been
made since. Speaking at Wednesday’s meeting of Dounreay Stakeholder Group,
he said: “We’re pushing ahead with our plan to return to a routine
regulatory position.” He said it had taken advantage of the good weather to
‘rattle through’ the list of buildings in need of urgent attention. This
included work to fix leaks in the roof of the turbine hall of the prototype
fast reactor which have been blamed for corroding sodium drums stored
there. An extra £3 million was allocated in 2024/25 to address the
concerns about the state of the buildings and modernise elderly electrical
plant. The £12 million budget has increased to £19 million in the current
financial year.

 John O’Groat Journal 22nd Sept 2025, https://www.johnogroat-journal.co.uk/news/three-formal-special-measures-notices-remain-in-place-amid-392690/

September 25, 2025 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | safety, UK