The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority

NDA Sites Monthly Performance Update

General Evaluation - Key Elements

• Work is being delivered for less than expected costs.
• The overall NDA programme is behind schedule.
• Year to date electricity generation is above target.

For financial year 2007/8 with the exception of Sellafield plans are not over pressured.

Financial year 2007/8 efficiency targets have been set and progress is being monitored.

Year to Date Cost and Schedule Performance
At the end of February 2008, the programme delivered work for less than expected costs. Measured against the year to date budget the programme of work at the end of February is behind schedule.

Please note: We use Earned Value Performance Management to measure programme performance. This compares the budgeted cost of work that was scheduled with the budgeted cost of work that was actually performed to determine schedule performance and the budgeted cost  of work actually performed with its actual cost to determine cost performance.

Year to date electricity generation at the fleet of Magnox nuclear reactors operated by the NDA was above target at the end of February 2008. Electricity generation for the month was above target.

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Items of Interest

Key Elements

• Sellafield receive the first Fork Lift Truck (FLT) award for improvements plan.
• Decommissioning work at Bradwell reduces the site’s carbon footprint.
• At Trawsfynydd internal works are nearing completion on the Intermediate Level Waste (ILW) Store. A successful press day was held to showcase the new store.
• Hunterston A won first prize at the ‘Innovation 4’ awards for a modified drilling technique that saves both time and money when implemented.
• Oldbury has achieved a milestone in the site’s lifecycle with the advanced consent to decommission, once generation ends, being received from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).
• UK Nuclear Waste Management (UKNWM) has received ministerial approval to become the Parent Body Organisation (PBO) for the Low Level Waste (LLW) Repository.
• The revised organisational structure for Harwell and Winfrith has been achieved without the need for compulsory redundancies.
• The Fellside Combined Heat and Power Plant has been taken out of operation. This has led to a reduced steam supply to the Sellafield site, the implications for the current and future financial years are being assessed.
• At the Sellafield Thermal Oxide Reprocessing Plant (THORP) restart preparations have been delayed during the period due to lack of steam. Out of period the plant has restarted shearing.
• The operations portfolio at the Sellafield MOX Plant (SMP) has had another disappointing month. Output has been constrained by equipment failure.

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Sellafield Limited was presented with the first Fork Lift Truck (FLT) Association Safe Site Award on 9 February in Birmingham. The award was presented in recognition of the significant improvement plan Sellafield had implemented in response to a number of FLT events in 2006. Particular mention was given to the Principle Lifting Engineer, the Safety Adviser and the Waste FLT teams.

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The Reactor Boiler House Buildings have been the most visual aspect of Bradwell for the last 44 years, featuring prominently on the local horizon. Following the completion of asbestos removal the lights in Boiler House 1, 2 and 4 have been switched off. With this work drawing to a close, there is no longer a need for regular access to the buildings and so no operational need for the lights to be on continuously. However, the general and emergency lighting will continue to be maintained in accordance with the relevant maintenance regimes. By switching off the lights, the site’s power demands reduced therefore reducing its carbon footprint.

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At Trawsfynydd, the construction phase of the Intermediate Level Waste (ILW) Store project was completed last period, leaving minor snagging items, most of which have subsequently been attended to. The internal shield windows have been successfully installed this period, and Wellman Booth has been on site to give operating training in the use of the internal cranes they installed earlier in the year. The building is expected to be formally handed over to site early in period 12. A successful press day was held on site to officially present the Store, with the Daily Post, Cambrian News, BBC Wales, ITV Wales, Radio Wales and Radio Cymru in attendance. Suitably impressed with the scale and quality of the building, positive reporting and feedback resulted.

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A team from Hunterston A won first prize at the ‘Innovation 4’ awards in Manchester for the Best Implemented Idea. NDA’s Brian Burnett was among judges at the event and presented the award to the winning team. The idea was to modify a drilling technique used in other industry to characterise the nature of contaminated land at the site. Its successful implementation saved both time and money.

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On 18 February Oldbury received a letter from the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) which gave the site advance consent to decommission once generation ends. The consent was given after the HSE carried out a public consultation on the ’environmental impact assessment for decommissioning’.

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UK Nuclear Waste Management (UKNWM) has received ministerial approval to become the Parent Body Organisation (PBO) for the Low Level Waste (LLW) Repository Limited. There now follows the 10 day Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU) "cooling off period" and the concurrent 14 day parliamentary review period. Pending successful outcome of these activities, it is planned that NDA and UKNWM will sign the transition agreement in March, leading to share transfer on 1st April.

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A key achievement at Harwell and Winfrith has been the revised Research Sites Restoration Limited (RSRL) Organisational Structure which has been successfully populated without the need for compulsory redundancies. This has been accomplished by proactive engagement with both Trade Unions and staff.

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Corrosion under insulation at the base of the Waste Heat Boiler (WHB) Stacks in the Fellside Combined Heat and Power Plant that supplies Sellafield with both power and steam led to the removal of stacks and the plant being taken out of operation. Subsequent work with the Environment Agency (EA) has permitted normal operations for a restricted period. An Emergency Action Notification was submitted to NDA. Impact on site was managed stringently and effectively to avoid any nuclear safety incidents. Minimum steam supply was maintained to site during the issues by an auxiliary boiler coming into operation. This required disciplined load management and steam isolations to some plants and caused delays to a number of operations on site. The implications for this and future financial years is being assessed.

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At the Sellafield Thermal Oxide Reprocessing Plant (THORP) preparations for the active operation of the THORP Plutonium Finishing Line (TPFL) continued during the period, but were delayed due to the lack of steam on the site. The proof test which could be carried out without steam was completed. Others tests which required steam have had to be postponed until the steam supply has returned to normal. Preparations have continued in other areas of the plant to minimise risks to the restart programme. Out of period, during March 2008 the THORP plant restarted shearing.

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At the Sellafield MOX Plant (SMP), overall the operations portfolio remains behind schedule. Delivery within the period has been very disappointing, where significant equipment failure and resultant recovery has continued to constrain throughput. Work continues to improve delivery.

Safety and Environment Performance

Safety and Environment - Key Elements

• One event at Hunterston A and two previous events at Sellafield are confirmed as INES Level 1.
• Five RIDDOR reportable events happened in the month.
• Environmental non-compliance reported from Chapelcross.

Dosimetry is the measurement of absorbed dose in matter and tissue resulting from the exposure to ionizing radiations.

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Nuclear Safety

One event rated at Level 1 on the International Nuclear Event Scale (INES) has been reported as occurring at NDA sites during the period.

• At Hunterston A, a check of maintenance schedule activity documentation discovered a failure to comply fully with the maintenance schedule requirements for the filter efficiency testing of the activity sample preparation facility ventilation plant.

In addition, two previous events at Sellafield have now been confirmed as Level 1 events.

• An investigation into B299 evaporator glove-box sumps has confirmed that not all feeds into the glove-boxes would be tripped by the level indication probes as required by the safety case. This was identified by a safety review on 5 November 2007.
• The dosimetry investigation for the individual involved in the B277 contaminated wound event (which was reported in November 2007) has concluded that the dose received was below dose limits.

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Dosimetry

The sites provide data on average individual dose, maximum individual dose and collective dose. These metrics are measured separately for SLC employees and for contractors. Note that the dose is measured by a dosimeter which has to be processed before the dose can be added to the record. Therefore dose figures always lag behind the current date. Dose figures are reported by calendar year rather than financial year and the graphs below present the latest figures for dosimeters worn by workers in calendar year 2007 to date. Individual average and maximum doses should be compared with the legal annual limit of 20 mSv.

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Radiological Protection

The sites provide data on average individual dose, maximum individual dose and collective dose. These metrics are measured separately for SLC employees and for contractors. Note that the dose is measured by a dosimeter which has to be processed before the dose can be added to the record. Therefore dose figures always lag behind the current date. Dose figures are reported by calendar year rather than financial year and the graphs below present the latest figures for dosimeters worn by workers in calendar year 2007 as processed to date. Average individual doses and maximum individual doses should be compared with the legal annual limit of 20 mSv.

The following graph shows maximum individual doses. The maximum individual contractor dose at Sellafield is due to the contaminated wound event reported in the Nuclear Safety section. Although this is a relatively high dose, it is within dose limits.

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Industrial Health and Safety

Five events reportable under RIDDOR have occurred in the month.

• At Sellafield, an employee sustained broken fingers when he was moving a bar from a lowered trolley to the ground. This has led to greater than 3 days lost time and the event has therefore been reported as a RIDDOR Lost Time Accident (LTA).
• At Sellafield, an employee slipped on a roof walkway sustaining a sprain to his ankle. The event was subsequently reported as a RIDDOR Lost Time Accident (LTA).
• The failure of the fuel elevator in THORP at Sellafield (reported in period 10) has been reported as a Dangerous Occurrence under RIDDOR.
• At Springfields, an employee scalded his foot resulting in him being unable to carry out his normal work for greater than 3 days. The event has therefore been reported as a RIDDOR Lost Time Accident (LTA).
• At Oldbury, a liquid manifold safety valve spuriously lifted with the tank at normal pressure, discharging 0.9 tonnes of carbon dioxide before it was isolated by staff using breathing apparatus. There was no release of radioactive material but the event was reported as a RIDDOR Dangerous Occurrence.

Sellafield Limited appeared at Whitehaven Magistrates Court regarding the B6 fatality in 2003. A further hearing will take place on 15 April 2008.

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Environmental Protection

No environmental non-compliances have been reported in this period.

In January, Chapelcross reported an environmental non-compliance concerning discrepancies in records for Intermediate Level Waste (ILW). The Scottish Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA) has informed the site that they are content with the improvement plan and will take no formal action.In addition, a late reported non-compliance from Windscale has been added to the year to date figures, for discharge information that was recorded at the appropriate time but was not reported to the Environment Agency within the timescale defined in the Discharge Authorisation.