The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority

NDA Sites Monthly Performance Update

General Evaluation - Key Elements

• The programme delivers work below budgeted costs.
• Programme schedule performance is broadly inline with expectations.
• Electricity generation for Period and Year to Date is above target.

For financial year 2008/9 site plans are over pressured. This means that the NDA set budgets for sites that contained more scope of work than there was available funding to complete. Setting over pressured budgets is a tactic to build the sites cost efficiency target into their baseline scope. It is important to note that sites can only carry out the total value of work in their budget by making the necessary savings to fund the over pressured work.

Year to Date Cost and Schedule Performance At the end of October 2008, the programme delivered work for less than planned cost. Measured against the year to date budget the programme of work at the end of October is broadly in line with expectations.

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.

Electricity generation at the fleet of Magnox nuclear reactors operated by the NDA is above target for the month of October 2008 and above target for the Year to Date.

Items of Interest

Key Elements

• Legal separation of Magnox Electric Ltd into Magnox North Ltd and Magnox South Ltd was successfully completed on 1 October.
• At Trawsfynydd the Active Waste Vaults project has completed all retrievals from Vault A1 16 months ahead of the original schedule.

On 1 October the legal separation of Magnox Electric Ltd into Magnox North Ltd and Magnox South Ltd was successfully completed. There remains a small amount of work to complete agreeing a common Maintenance Schedule Preface for both Magnox North and South with the regulator. This is not directly associated with the legal separation. The separation brings to a close a significant programme of work to meet all the legal and regulatory requirements needed to deliver the transition.

The Active Waste Vaults project at Trawsfynydd has successfully completed all retrievals from Vault A1 16 months ahead of the original schedule. And the formally approved accelerated retrieval works from Vault B1 has also been completed this month. This was all achieved through the pro-active sorting, segregation and retrieval regime implemented by the team, and delivered waste reduction in Vaults A1 and B1 ahead of schedule and with significant in-year cost savings.

Safety and Environment Performance

Safety and Environment - Key Elements

• 3 RIDDOR reportable events.
• 1 INES event

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

Nuclear Safety

One International Nuclear Event Scale (INES) Level 1 event has been reported from NDA sites during the month.

• At Trawsfynydd, following a review of historical maintenance check sheets, a routine radiological survey was found to be partially incomplete. In response a broad improvement plan has been developed and is being promptly implemented.

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. Dose figures are reported by calendar year rather than financial year and the following two graphs show average individual doses and maximum individual doses respectively (ordered by employee dose) for dosimeters worn by workers in calendar year 2008 and processed to date. Average individual doses and maximum individual doses should be compared with (and are all well below) the legal annual limit of 20 mSv.

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

Industrial Health and Safety

Three events reportable under RIDDOR have occurred in the month:

• At Sellafield, on entering a Glasdon hut, an employee slipped and fell sustaining back and head injuries. The individual visited the medical department and was advised to go home. The injured party was subsequently unavailable for work for greater than 3 days.
• At Sellafield, an employee was reaching into a waste liner to monitor items of equipment. On straightening up he felt a pain in his back. The injured party was transferred to the medical department and was advised to attend hospital. The injured party was subsequently unavailable for work for greater than 3 days.
• Bradwell has reported a case of Work Related Upper Limb Disorder in an administration assistant. The symptoms were reported early and the employee discussed the issue with the on site nurses. The employee also attended her own GP. There has been no lost time from work to date.

RIDDOR stands for the reporting of injuries diseases and dangerous occurrences regulations 1995. RIDDOR '95 requires the reporting of work-related accidents, diseases and dangerous occurrences. It applies to all work activities, but not to all incidents.

Environmental Protection

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

• In previous months, Windscale had reported a total of five environmental non-compliances which they had self-categorised as being at Compliance Classification Scheme (CCS) level 4. The site outlined the issues in question to the regulator at the site’s quarterly regulatory forum on 4 November. The regulator’s view was that, in all instances described, suitable measures had been taken and substitute arrangements put in place. As such, the regulator had not and did not intend to write to Windscale to confirm these as environmental non-compliances. These events have therefore been removed from the year to date figure.

An Environmental Non Compliance is a breach of a permit condition set by the Environment Agency or the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency that prevents or controls risk of pollution to the environment.

Safety and Environmental Achievements

The Reactor 1 channel viewing campaign at Oldbury was completed with 1304 channels having been viewed. No significant defects were found. This was a key action that needed to be completed in order for the regulator to grant consent to restart Reactor 1.

Representatives from NDA sites attended the NDA Environment Good Practice Conference in Manchester. The theme of the conference was leading, learning and sharing and as well as NDA and SLC staff, it was attended by regulators and government departments.

Hinkley Point A sponsored a two-day conference entitled “Innovations in Decommissioning of a Magnox Power Station” on behalf of the Society for Radiological Protection. Over 100 people attended including 40 who took part in a site tour to see decommissioning in the field.

The British Safety Council has awarded the “Sword of Honour” to Wylfa in recognition of the site’s excellent safety record, a proven record of adopting best practice, the creation of a positive safety culture and a focus on continual safety improvements.

Please note
We give the actual number of occurrences in each category. Not all sites employ the same number of people and/or undertake the same activities. This must be taken into account before comparisons between sites can be made.