Day 1
08:30 - REGISTRATION AND REFRESHMENTS
09:00 - CHAIR’S OPENING REMARKS
Roger May, Shift Charge Engineer, Magnox and Member of the Nuclear Power Committee
09:10 - THE REGULATION OF THE DECOMMISSIONING OF UK NUCLEAR SITES
Denise Varley, Specialist Inspector, Office for Nuclear Regulation
• Explore the current regulation of the decommissioning of UK nuclear sites
• Understand key factors in effective regulation of nuclear decommissioning
• Analyse lessons learnt from a UK regulatory perspective
09:40 - MORNING KEYNOTE: THE REACTOR DECOMMISSIONING AT BRADWELL
Alan Bladon, Programme Director, Magnox
• Understanding the Magnox strategy to approaching the deplant, demolition and safestore of the Bradwell construction site and how these strategies can be applied to other sites
• Developing a multi-contractor team; ensuring buy-in and collaboration
• Gaining insight into the issues and challenges faced throughout the decommissioning process and lessons learnt for future projects
10:05 - UPDATE ON DECOMMISSIONING AND WASTE MANAGEMENT POLICY FROM DECC
Robert Middleton, Office for Nuclear Development, Department of Energy and Climate Change
• Keeping the legislative framework up-to-date
• Implementing the Basic Safety Standards Directive
• Policy regarding decommissioning and waste management for nuclear new build
10:30 - NETWORKING REFRESHMENT BREAK
11:00 - PANEL DISCUSSION: ADDRESSING THE DIFFERENT APPROACHES AND CHALLENGES TO DECOMMISSIONING
Panellists:
Alan Bladon, Programme Director, Magnox
Denise Varley, Specialist Inspector, Office for Nuclear Regulation
• Should decommissioning projects be conducted solely by external contractors?
What are the expectations?
• Addressing the need for standardisation within the sector to ease the decommissioning process
• How to manage the regulatory interface and provide open communication with stakeholders to ensure constant buy-in
11:45 - CASE STUDY: ACTIVE HANDLING BUILDING DECOMMISSIONING
Gordon Tait, Senior Project Manager, Dounreay Site Restoration Limited
• Discover the techniques and approaches adopted to successfully decommission an Active Handling Facility including a fuel pond, a PIE cave and a RHILW waste store
• Gain insight into the innovative cost effective solutions demonstrated throughout the project
• Explore the key skills required to underpin delivery and the importance of preparation to projects
12:10 - THE CHALLENGES OF SUBMARINE UPKEEP, DISMANTLING AND DISPOSAL AND PROVISION OF NUCLEAR INFRASTRUCTURE
Captain Richard Carrick, Royal Navy, Superintendant Submarines, Ministry of Defence
• Gain insight into the process required in refitting and refuelling a Vanguard Class Submarine
• Create a through life approach to infrastructure management within a submarine Naval Base
• Understanding the unique requirement of submarine decommissioning, dismantling and disposal
12:50 - NETWORKING LUNCH
13:50 - AFTERNOON KEYNOTE: A CROSS-PARTY APPROACH TO NUCLEAR ENERGY
John Robertson MP (Glasgow North West), Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Nuclear Energy
• How nuclear energy has historically been approached by UK Governments
• Understand current Government policy regarding nuclear developments
• Discover what the future holds for nuclear as part of the energy mix
14:15 - DELIVERING A GEOLOGICAL DISPOSAL FACILITY
Ann McCall, RWM Waste Management Director, Nuclear Decommissioning Authority
• Explore the role of Radioactive Waste Management Limited
• Hear the latest updates regarding the progress with geological disposal
• Gain insight into the developments of waste management solutions throughout the UK
14:40 - ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSION: NUCLEAR WASTE MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES
Discussion facilitators:
Ian Pullin, Technical Coordinator, Magnox
Shaun Kelso, Head of Operations Strategy, Sellafield
Roundtable topics include: Concentrate and contain; Dilute and disperse; Delay and decay; and Transport of radioactive waste. Delegates will have the opportunity to pre-register which subject they discuss. Each roundtable will participate in a 40 minute discussion within their chosen topic then report their conclusions with the opportunity for a Q and A.
15:40 - NETWORKING REFRESHMENT BREAK
16:10 - PONDS SKIP MILLING PROJECT: DEVELOPING NEW TECHNIQUES FOR DECONTAMINATING SKIPS FROM INTERMEDIATE LEVEL WASTE SKIPS (ILW) TO LOW LEVEL WASTE (LLW)
Ian Pullin, Technical Coordinator, Magnox
• Delivering a large-scale active trial at Hinkley Point A to underpin a step change in decontamination capability for Magnox
• Taking commercially available CNC machine technology and exploiting it to decontaminate ILW to LLW or better
• Using the output of the trial to develop the approach for skip decontamination operations across Magnox
16:35 - DEALING WITH THE PAST AND PROTECTING THE FUTURE OF THE NUCLEAR INDUSTRY
Shaun Kelso, Head of Operations Strategy, Sellafield
• Undertaking the biggest project in Sellafield’s history as it transitions from reprocessing into legacy waste retrievals and treatment
• Exploring the ongoing challenge of delivering this project in a safe, secure and environmentally-informed way whilst demonstrating both urgency and value for money
• Understanding how Sellafield is developing fit for purpose solutions and a programme-based approach to ALARP so as to underpin POCO, reconfiguration of existing facilities for new missions and the design, build, commissioning and operation of new nuclear facilities
17:00 - PANEL DISCUSSION: HOW TO DELIVER DEPLOYMENT OF PROJECT CONTROL TECHNIQUES IN THE EARLY PHRASES OF PROJECT DEVELOPMENT
Panellists: Graeme Campbell, Mechanical Systems Engineer, EDF Energy
• Learn about new mechanical infrastructure techniques that specifically support nuclear programmes
• Understand the requirements of management and the early stage regulatory interaction to ensure all criteria is met
• How to improve cost-effectiveness by the application of good control techniques and suitable commercial packages in the early phases
17:40 - CHAIR’S CLOSING REMARKS
17:45 - END OF CONFERENCE DAY ONE
Day 2
08:30 - REGISTRATION AND REFRESHMENTS
09:00 - CHAIR’S OPENING REMARKS AND DAY ONE RECAP
John Hulme, Senior Consultant, Generation & Defueling Delivery, Engineering, Magnox and Member of the Nuclear Power Committee
09:10 - MORNING KEYNOTE: LEARNING FROM EXPERIENCE AT EVAPORATOR D
Andrew Ross, Head of Inspection Services and Neil Ivison, Head of Quality, Sellafield
• Learn about the problems that arose through the fabrication of Evaporator D
• Determine the root causes of the problems by examining the procurement process,
ambiguous specifications and control of the supply chain
• What can sites learn from this particular situation and do differently in the future
09:50 - ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSION: SITUATIONAL PROBLEM SOLVING
Roundtable facilitators:
Gordon Tait, Senior Project Manager
Graham Carle, Project Manager, Dounreay Site Restoration Limited
Delegates will be able to flex their project management skills when presented with a hypothetical project and introduced to an unexpected situation that interrupts the project’s development. Each table will have just 40 minutes to develop a strategy and timescale to resolve the problem and to get the initial project back on track, followed by a report of key conclusions and the opportunity for a Q and A.
10:50 - NETWORKING REFRESHMENT BREAK
11:20 - DEVELOPING A LIFETIME REPAIR FOR AN ADVANCED GAS COOLED REACTOR’S PERIPHERAL IN SERVICE INSPECTION STANDPIPE
Graeme Campbell, Architect Engineer, EDF Energy
• Explore the successful delivery of complex projects that require reactor vessel entry
• Understand the role of the Architect Engineer within EDF Energy
• Discover the design control requirement within large investment projects
11:45 - DELIVERING MAJOR SAFETY IMPROVEMENTS AND LIFETIME EXTENSION ASPIRATIONS AT AN OPERATING NUCLEAR POWER SITE
Martin Pearson, Station Director, EDF Energy
• Delivering significant safety benefits without affecting business performance
• Explore how to extend the life of a nuclear power station
• Engaging your workforce during a period of sustained high workload periods
12:20 - AFTERNOON KEYNOTE: NDA EXPECTATIONS AND THOUGHTS REGARDING PROGRAMME MANAGEMENT AND THE DELIVERY OF OUTCOMES
Brian Burnett, Head of Programmes, Nuclear Decommissioning Authority
• Discover the Government and NDA expectations of the estate and what this means for individual sites
• How the NDA advises the management of uncertainty
• Explore the challenges to come for the engineering community
12:50 - NETWORKING LUNCH
13:50 - DELIVERING A NUCLEAR PROJECT IN CHALLENGING CONDITIONS ON A MAGNOX SITE AT TRAWSFYNYDD
Jason Carter, Senior Project Lead, Magnox
• Hear how previous radiological incidents on a legacy ILW tank and the lessons learnt shaped the project
• Learn how the approach being undertaken in Chernobyl inspired a project in Wales
• Analyse how the rigorous preparation for operations and removal of schedule restraints can allow a project to be delivered safely
14:15 - AGGRESSIVE CHEMICAL WASHOUT OF A NUCLEAR PROCESS PLANT
Graham Carle, Project Manager, Dounreay Site Restoration Limited
• Discover the results of aggressive wash out trials carried out on an active plant
• Gain insight into the results obtained when examining the corrosion depths experienced within the trial
• Identify the contamination mechanisms identified and compare with theoretical decontamination factors
14:45 - NEW NUCLEAR BUILD – THE REGULATORS’ NEW APPROACH
Alan McGoff, Lead New Nuclear Build, Environment Agency
• Gain insight into how the Office for Nuclear Regulation and Environment Agency are working together using a new regulatory approach for new nuclear build
• Hear the latest developments and progress on the assessments of new reactors
• Understand how the experiences gained and the lessons learned are being applied for new reactor design assessments and for proposed developments
15:10 - NETWORKING REFRESHMENT BREAK
15:40 - EDF ENERGY NEW BUILD PROJECT AT HINKLEY POINT C
Bob Dixon, Head of Quality Management Arrangements, HPC Project, EDF Energy
• Latest developments on EDF’s Hinkley Point New Build project
• Understanding the quality requirements that form the project
• Lessons learnt from Flamanville 3, Olkiluoto and Taishan Unit 1 & 2 and Fukushima
16:10 - PANEL DISCUSSION: FUTURE THINKING FOR ENGINEERS WITHIN THE NUCLEAR INDUSTRY
Panellists:
Bob Dixon, Head of Quality Management Arrangements, HPC Project, EDF Energy
Alan McGoff, Lead New Nuclear Build, Environment Agency
• Nuclear readiness: exploring the potential for the industry and the key areas of focus to prepare for new developments and address the gaps in the human supply chain
• Discuss the need for plant life extension projects whilst being mindful that this can cause disruption within the industry
• Identify and implement defined processes and timescales throughout projects to ensure cost effective and timely delivery
16:50 - CHAIR’S CLOSING REMARKS
17:00 - END OF CONFERENCE