The Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR) has agreed to extend an Improvement Notice served on EDF in September 2020, recognising the progress made so far.
The notice was served after some of the equipment used to measure reactor power at Heysham 2 was incorrectly configured during the reactor’s restart process following a planned outage in April 2020.
A range of safety barriers remained in place at the time of the incident, including other equipment to independently measure reactor power, and the safety of workers and the public was not compromised.
The ONR has judged that Heysham 2 is able to operate safely and that additional time to demonstrate the required improvements will not pose a risk to safety.
Noting the significant progress in meeting the requirements of the Improvement Notice made by EDF, the ONR has agreed for more time to allow the licensee to demonstrate sustainable improvements.
The ONR will continue to monitor the progress made and will hold EDF to account to ensure full compliance.
EDF must now comply with the Improvement Notice by 31 July 2021.