Licensing and regulatory control of thermal power reactors in the United Kingdom
The regulation of nuclear safety and liability in the United Kingdom is governed by the Nuclear Installations Acts 1965 and 1969. A site license is required for the construction or operation of a nuclear reactor or other prescribed installation. The responsible Minister is vested with broad regulatory powers for licensing purposes. The Nuclear Installations Inspectorate, set up in 1959, is responsible for safety assessments of proposed facilities and for inspection during construction, commissioning and operation. The power to impose and enforce conditions attached to a license gives the Nuclear Inspectorate adequate control over the design and construction of a nuclear plant and its operation. While there have been changes in the form and content of various license conditions over the past decade, the practice is still to keep the licenses as free from technical detail as far as practicable, consistent with the need to define the extent of control. The license conditions and the procedural and technical documents drawn up thereunder provide a framework for safety control. The extent to which provisions can be made for emergency countermeasures is an essential feature of the United Kingdom siting policy.
- Research Organization:
- Nuclear Installations Inspectorate, London
- NSA Number:
- NSA-33-028262
- OSTI ID:
- 4053608
- Country of Publication:
- IAEA
- Language:
- English
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