Welcome to ONR news

Hello everyone.

Welcome to the latest edition of ONR News, keeping you updated about our work as the UK’s nuclear regulator for safety, security and safeguards.

We've made two major personnel announcements within the last 48 hours to inform stakeholders of our forthcoming new Chief Executive and Chief Nuclear Inspector (CE/CNI), and new permanent Chair.

I am delighted that Mike Finnerty re-joins us later this year as our next Chief Executive/Chief Nuclear Inspector. Mike has nearly 40 years experience within the nuclear industry and we look forward to having him back with us. Current CE/CNI Mark Foy isn't leaving us just yet and will remain with us until the autumn during a transition period.

I’m also very pleased to share another high-level appointment with Dr Nicola Crauford being confirmed as our new permanent Chair, bringing experience from previous roles in the oil and gas, energy and banking sectors.

I'd like to take this opportunity to sincerely thank our outgoing Interim Chair, Dame Judith Hackitt, who has made a significant contribution to the organisation during the last year.

I'm sure you will have noticed that nuclear has been firmly on the news agenda in the first weeks of 2025 including the updated National Policy Statement on siting and announcement of a nuclear regulatory taskforce that will report directly to the Prime Minister.

We welcome the taskforce and stand ready to provide input and explore any options that could deliver new projects more quickly and cost efficiently, while upholding high standards of safety and security.

We are also heartened by recent comments made by Minister of State for Energy Security & Net Zero, Lord Hunt, about our collaborative working with Sellafield following our announcement last week that the licensee has delivered physical security improvements as positive progress is made at this nationally-important site.

As always, if you have any comments about ONR, any of the topics included in this newsletter, or our work in general, please get in touch via contact@onr.gov.uk.

Best wishes

Rachel Grant

Director of Strategy and Corporate Affairs

New ONR Chief Executive and Chief Nuclear Inspector announced

Former ONR director Mike Finnerty has re-joined us in our top regulatory role and replaces Mark Foy later this year.

New ONR Chair to start within the next week

Dr Nicola Crauford has been appointed as the new Chair of ONR with effect from the start of March.

New independent government taskforce on nuclear regulation

We’ve welcomed the recently-announced independent regulatory taskforce that will consider ways to speed up the delivery of new nuclear projects.

Sustained security improvements recognised at Sellafield

We've moved Sellafield Ltd back into routine regulatory attention for physical security after consistently improved security outcomes were demonstrated.

Our People – Stephanie Lavergne, Nuclear Safeguards Inspector

Stephanie is part of our team responsible for implementing UK safeguards arrangements following the 2021 transition from EURATOM.

Last Energy enters our nuclear site licensing process

Last Energy has entered our nuclear site licensing process with its plans to develop four 20 MWe microreactors in South Wales.

The process is fundamental in ensuring that prospective licensees of a nuclear site are ready and able to meet their obligations under the nuclear site licence to protect their workforce and the public.

Last Energy has been participating in our early regulatory engagement framework since May 2024, which enables applicants to develop their understanding of regulatory processes and expectations early on in their projects.

Our inspectors will now provide pre-application advice to Last Energy as it prepares its application for a nuclear site licence.

Delving into regulation of nuclear industry AI at World Government Summit

We've informed delegates at the World Government Summit about our groundbreaking application of a nuclear sandbox exploring regulation of artificial intelligence (AI) within the industry.

Mark Foy, our Chief Executive and Chief Nuclear Inspector, attended the summit in Dubai, as nuclear regulation was featured for the first time during the three-day event.

Mark participated in a high-level roundtable conversation co-hosted by the Nuclear Energy Agency and the United Arab Emirates’ nuclear regulator, Federal Authority for Nuclear Regulation (FANR).

The session focused on the potential to accelerate the development, licensing and deployment of small modular reactors through AI.

Mark said: “Readiness is essential for regulators and ONR is working hard to ensure it is in the vanguard and prepared, recognising the potential safety and security benefits that AI will provide.”

Bilateral discussions with Norwegian regulator

We met with the Norwegian Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority to bolster our commitment to international cooperation in nuclear safety.

This focused on sharing insights on regulatory approaches and enforcement strategies, exchanging best practices for nuclear site regulation and exploring our strategy for the regulation at Sellafield, one of Europe's most complex and challenging decommissioning projects.

This builds on a signed Memorandum of Understanding between our two organisations and more collaborative sessions are planned for later this year.

Comments process remains open for three Generic Design Assessments

We're currently assessing three nuclear reactor designs as part of our Generic Design Assessment (GDA) process with each organisation required to publish all of the documents they send to us to ensure transparency.

These GDAs are for the Rolls-Royce SMR Ltd's 470MWe small modular reactor, Holtec Britain's SMR-300 and GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy BWRX-300.

Whether you're an engineer, academic, scientist, environmental specialist, NGO representative, or simply interested in nuclear technology - your insights are valuable.

You can review the designs and assessment documents and submit comments or questions directly through each organisation's dedicated GDA portal.

Our mission is to protect society by securing safe nuclear operations

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