Information contained in this news release is current as of the date of the press announcement, but may be subject to change without prior notice.
April 4, 2017
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left: Andy Bevan, nuclear site licence manager, ONR
right: Anthony Webb, director of safety and licensing, Horizon
London, 4th April 2017 - Horizon Nuclear Power a wholly owned subsidiary of Hitachi, Ltd. (TSE:6501), has taken another major step towards delivering The Wylfa Newydd power station with the submission of its application for a Nuclear Site Licence. A Site Licence is one of the main permissions Horizon will need as it looks to build and operate two UK Advanced-Boiling Water Reactor (ABWR) units on Anglesey in Wales.
Receipt of the application by the Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR) now triggers a rigorous 19 month programme of assessment and intervention to establish whether Horizon can demonstrate it will be in control of all safety related activities on its site.
The Site Licence Application (SLA) follows more than two years of preparation by Horizon and focuses on topics such as the suitability of the organisation, the suitability of the site and the suitability of its reactor design for use at the site. The ONR will only grant a Nuclear Site Licence (NSL) once it is satisfied that Horizon has met the 36 Licence Conditions and licensee obligations required to demonstrate it is capable and competent to install, operate and decommission a nuclear facility. If licensed, Horizon will then be regulated by the ONR for the full lifecycle of the site from construction to decommissioning.
Anthony Webb, Safety and Licensing, Director, Horizon, said, "Today's announcement marks a significant development in the maturity and growth of Horizon as we get ready to build and operate our lead site at Wylfa Newydd. We already have a proven technology, aligned with experienced leadership, and we are rapidly building the wider capability and organisation to help ensure success. Our focus will now be fully on providing the ONR with confidence in our ability to safely deliver this crucial project."
In preparation for today's announcement Horizon recently created a Site Licence Company Board to be chaired by Duncan Hawthorne, Chief Executive Officer, Horizon Nuclear Power. Horizon also appointed experienced industry experts William Doig and Dr Ken Petrunik as independent non-executive directors to strengthen the Board's nuclear credentials.
The nuclear site licence application comes as Horizon prepares to undertake its final stage of community consultation in the summer ahead of submitting its Development Consent Order (DCO) later this year and as its UK ABWR reactor technology progresses through the fourth and final stage of its Generic Design Assessment, on track to complete by the end of Dec 2017.
If consent is granted, Horizon aims to receive all the necessary permissions by the end of 2018.
Horizon Nuclear Power was formed in 2009 to develop new nuclear power stations in the UK. It was acquired by Hitachi Ltd of Japan in November 2012. The company is developing plans to build at least 5,400MW of new nuclear power generation at Wylfa Newydd on the Isle of Anglesey and Oldbury-on-Severn in South Gloucestershire. Its power station sites will employ 850 people each once operational with a construction workforce of between 8,000 and 10,000. For more information about Horizon, please visit www.horizonnuclearpower.com.
Horizon Nuclear Power Wylfa Ltd is the Horizon group company that submitted the Site Licence Application to the ONR. It is a separate legal entity that, if granted a Nuclear Site Licence, will be the Site Licence Company responsible for the construction and operation of Wylfa Newydd.
A Nuclear Site Licence (NSL) is a licence granted by the Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR) under the Nuclear Installations Act 1965 for the installation and operation of a nuclear reactor and will cover the full life cycle from construction to operation and through to decommissioning. A standard set of 36 Licence Conditions is attached to each licence that requires Site Licence Companies to implement adequate arrangements to ensure compliance. Prior to a Nuclear Site Licence being granted a Site Licence Company has to demonstrate it is a suitable legal entity that is able to discharge its regulatory obligations.
For more information about the SLA package including an Overview Document that provides a summary of Horizon's Nuclear Site Licence application please visit Horizon's website at www.horizonnuclearpower.com
For more information on nuclear regulation and site licence applications, please visit the website of the Office for Nuclear Regulation at http://www.onr.org.uk/licensing.htm
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