Hinkley C, Regulator, Design Changes
Posted: 8th September 2024
On 4th Sept, The Times published an article headlined: “Inside Britian’s plans for a new nuclear age.” The article referred to the Hinkley Point C power station under construction in Somerset and states: “The developers have called out the 7,000 design changes it was forced to make to its reactors by the Office for Nuclear Regulation to adapt the reactors to UK safety standards, increasing the amount of concrete and steel needed and pushing up costs.” The figures quoted, and others, have been circulating for several months. Consequently, our regulatory team has carried out a detailed analysis – examining the design evolution of the EPR reactor at Hinkley Point C and specifically the basis of the design changes when compared to the EPR at Flamanville in France. This work has included engagement with the developer, EDF. Our work has highlighted that the bulk of design changes arose from a range of factors. These included learning following the Fukushima accident that occurred in 2011, international standards, experience from other EPR projects in China, Finland and France, and EDF-driven changes. A number also related to ONR’s regulatory requirements. The design changes arising from ONR’s regulatory requirements have been in the public domain since 2012 when we published all of our assessment reports on completion of the Generic Design Assessment of the UK EPR. These were accepted by EDF at that time. Regarding the increased quantities of steel and concrete, we cannot find any basis related to the GDA process for the high figures that have been quoted in recent months. As the nuclear safety regulator, the protection of society is our priority and is always the fundamental consideration underpinning our decisions. At times, this will require us to seek improvements that lead to design changes to ensure safety standards are met.