| NIA welcomes the HSE and Environment Agency pre-licensing reports | | Print | |
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The Nuclear Industry Association has welcomed the joint reports from the Health and Safety Executive and the Environment Agency calling for the establishment of a pre-licensing regime for any new nuclear rectors in the UK. The reports call for the process to be split into two phases, the first covering generic approval for any new reactor type and a second phase which will cover site specific issues in locating a reactor with generic approval onto a given site. NIA Chairman, Philip Dewhurst said, "One of the things that the industry has been calling for is an integrated approach from the regulators in order to ensure more efficient and effective regulation. This joint approach from the two regulators is therefore extremely welcome. "There are clearly two different sets of issues which need to be addressed in any new reactor construction, one of which is national and one local. Obviously the generic safety issues for a new reactor type (as well as national energy policy) are of concern to everyone across the country and should be assessed at a national level but only need to be examined once. The siting of a reactor at a specific location needs to be examined at a local level so that the people most directly concerned can have their say. "We think that this sort of joint working by regulatory agencies has to be the way forward and so we greatly welcome these proposals. We hope that government takes them into account in its energy review." Comments (0)
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