Hunterston B decommissioning consent granted by ONR

The project, involving the dismantling and demolishing of the plant and buildings at the site between West Kilbride and Fairlie, is due to get under way soon.

In early 2022, Hunterston B reached the end of its operating life after nearly 46 years of generating electricity and moved into its defuelling phase.

During the last two-and-a-half years, nuclear fuel has been removed from the reactors and transported by rail to Sellafield in Cumbria for storage. Defuelling is expected to be completed in 2025.

After this, the nuclear site licence will transfer from EDF Energy to Nuclear Restoration Services (NRS), a subsidiary of the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority.

The decision comes after a public consultation and an analysis by ONR specialist inspectors of operator EDF Energy's environmental statement.

This included a detailed environmental impact assessment (EIA) for the proposed decommissioning project, along with mitigation measures designed to prevent or reduce any significant adverse environmental impacts.

The EIA identified two significant impacts during decommissioning: temporary adverse visual impact of dismantling activities of the power station for local residents and the socioeconomic effects on the regional employment market and workers at Hunterston B released from their roles during phases of the project.

The ONR says it is satisfied that the environmental statement proposes adequate mitigation measures to address these factors and considers the statement to be complete, of the right quality, and in line with relevant good practices.

Ian Phillips, ONR’s head of safety regulation for decommissioning, fuel and waste sites, said: "We will continue to effectively and efficiently regulate the Hunterston B site proportionately throughout the entire decommissioning phase to ensure the licensee complies with all applicable legislation to safeguard workers and the public.”