The Office for Nuclear Regulation has formally concluded the licence revocation for the Cardiff Nuclear Licensed Site in Wales, thereby de-licensing the site.
This follows many years of nuclear site decommissioning and work to clean up the site.
This is the first time ONR has de-licensed a site completely, although several sites have been de-licensed by ONR’s predecessor organisation, the Nuclear Installations Inspectorate.
The requirements for de-licensing are very stringent, a licensee has to demonstrate that it has met all regulatory requirements, particularly that it has shown that there is ‘no danger’ from ionising radiation resulting from their activities at the site. This has been independently verified by Public Health England, with final assessment having been undertaken by ONR. We are satisfied that all de-licensing requirements have been met and that the licence could be revoked.
Located within the Maynard Centre near Cardiff, GE Healthcare Ltd owned and operated the site under the Nuclear Installations Act 1965. The site was used for the manufacture of radiochemicals for the healthcare and life sciences research markets.
ONR Chief Nuclear Inspector, Mark Foy, said:
“The de-licensing of the Cardiff site is an excellent achievement by all involved and shows that it is possible to decommission and clean up a nuclear site for future use.
“The requirements for de-licensing are very stringent. We have to be absolutely certain that a licensee has met the high standards required in order for their licence to be revoked.
“This marks the culmination of many years of hard work between ONR, Public Health England and GE Healthcare and I’d like to thank everyone involved for their efforts.”