History made at Hunterston B

With just two weeks to go until Hunterston B becomes the first advanced gas-cooled reactor site (AGR) to transfer to NRS for decommissioning, the Office for Nuclear Regulation granted the site licence to NRS on 18 March.

The licence, which will take effect at the point of site transfer, is a legal document that will see responsibility for the site move from EDF to NRS. It sets out the conditions under which the site can operate and is crucial for future decommissioning work to proceed.

Michael Shanks, Minister for Energy in the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ), joined Andrew Munro, NRS Managing Director (AGRs and Paired Sites), and EDF’s Decommissioning Director, Paul Morton, as Mike Finnerty, Chief Nuclear Inspector and Chief Executive for the ONR, signed the licence documentation.

Andrew Munro said: “I am hugely proud of the collaborative work by so many people and organisations to bring us to this point. It has been a massive effort by all involved. We now look forward to welcoming our new colleagues into the NRS family on 1 April and embarking on the exciting next phase of the site’s lifetime – the journey of safe, secure and sustainable decommissioning. We are ready to support the site team using the decades of decommissioning experience gained in the wider NRS business, including the paired Hunterston A site next door. And, of course, we look forward to the transfer of Hinkley Point B later this year.”

A total of 246 people will transfer from EDF to NRS on 1 April, some of who were at the signing ceremony. 

At the ceremony, Energy Minister Michael Shanks thanked everyone involved for their work in bringing us to this point, as well as for their continued efforts. He emphasised that getting decommissioning right and doing so as efficiently as possible is critical.