In October 2014 Hydrock's specialist nuclear management business was appointed as the quality lead – and
subsequently also as the safety report lead – on the preparation of the
third version of the site-specific pre-construction safety report for
Hinkley Point C nuclear power station in Somerset. The report is an
integral part of the suite of safety reports intended to justify the
safety of Hinkley Point C’s design throughout the plant’s lifecycle –
from construction, installation and commissioning, through its full
operating life, to decommissioning, including consideration of on-site
spent fuel and radioactive waste management.
The third version
of the report, which will update the safety case to reflect the latest
reference design for Hinkley Point C, is one of the documents that will
be submitted in support of the application to obtain consent for the
start of safety-related construction of the nuclear island at the heart
of the plant.
The report includes detailed information on safety
requirements and objectives, the site’s characteristics, an explanation
of the principles, codes and standards used in the design, the design
and safety credentials of the structures, systems and components
involved in the installation, and various safety analyses, including
those for both normal operation and accident conditions.
As the
quality lead and the safety report lead, we are helping to define the
safety case’s requirements and objectives and to implement them. With
responsibility for co-ordinating the production of a suite of safety
documentation, we are also managing the progress of the safety report
through the safety clearance route, including its Independent Technical
Assessment and review by the Nuclear Safety Committee.
Leading
on the development of the safety strategy, we delivered an associated
briefing for key technical stakeholders and also supported technical
teams with defining and refining the scope and direction of technical
issues associated with the safety case.
One of the key
challenges on this project has been maintaining the quality of the
documentation produced by multiple authors, balanced against timely
delivery, as well as protecting the agreed scope and objectives of the
safety case from ‘mission creep’ whilst also recognising and championing
the inclusion of valid, important changes. We have played a leading
part in the team that successfully handled the delivery, review and
acceptance of over 300 items of documentation to date, driving them
through to the production of a complete quality record and associated
audit trail.
Our ability to explain the UK regulatory context to
non-UK safety documentation authors unfamiliar with the UK approach and
provide them with support has enabled us to make the best use of their
significant knowledge and expertise whilst presenting their input in a
way that will be meaningful and well understood – all of which has been
critical to ensuring that we developed the safety case in the right
direction.
Our work has ensured the ongoing development and
delivery of the safety case required by the Hinkley Point C licensee,
EDF NNB GenCo, on time, within cost and to the highest standards.
Hinkley Point C Pre-Construction Safety Report
Hydrock's nuclear specialists are supporting the preparation of the pre-construction safety report for the design of Hinkley Point C – the first nuclear power station to be built in the UK for over two decades.
