REGULATION IN BALANCE

Nuclear Electric operates six Magnox stations and five AGR stations. I t is commissioning its first PWR at Sizewell and is decommissioning tw o Magnox stations. Its operations involve regulations by HSE, NII, HMI P, MAFF and NRA. Given the number of regulators to whom the company mu st demonstrate adequate attention to safety, and the fact that a parti cular issue will frequently involve more than one regulator, it is cle arly important that regulators work within a common consistent framewo rk. Otherwise, priorities will not be clear, the operator can be trapp ed between conflicting demands of regulators and resources will not be wisely used to improve safety overall. This Paper looks particularly at the area of radioactive discharges and identifies potential ways th at we can overcome some of the difficulties of the past. It is not int ended as a criticism of past activities; it is easy to be critical wit h the benefit of hindsight and in changed circumstances. The Paper is intended to be a constructive contribution to the development of a con sistent framework for regulation in the UK.