16 Mar (NucNet): The UK’s nuclear regulator has identified five key areas of supply chain management where improvements are needed ahead of acceleration in both construction and manufacturing for the Hinkley Point C EPR project in Somerset, England.
The Office for Nuclear Regulation has rated an overall inspection finding as ‘amber’. This means that some arrangements are below standard and the ONR is seeking improvements.
The five key areas include issues such as improvement programmes, lessons learned, self-assessment and quality assurance.
The ONR said the inspection of the supply chain for Hinkley Point C was instigated in the context of the records falsification issues that emerged in 2016 at Areva’s Le Creusot forge facility. The facility, now operated by Framatome, is a supplier of key components to the Hinkley Point C project. The falsification issues became apparent after the French nuclear safety regulator, ASN, confirmed that major technical and organisational shortcomings had occurred at the Le Creusot.
The ONR said good progress has been made by site licensee NNB GenCo, a subsidiary of EDF Energy, and Le Creusot in rolling out an improvement programme including improved manufacturing processes, management system arrangements and safety and quality culture.
EDF Energy is building two 1,600-MW EPR units at Hinkley Point C, which are expected to provide 7% of Britain’s electricity needs when fully operational. According to the latest EDF estimates, the project is expected to cost £19.6bn.
