The Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR) has 'continued to develop and mature as an organisation over the last two years', a Parliamentary report has found.
Findings from a new government report shows that ONR has met all the recommendations made in the Post Implementation Review (PIR) undertaken in 2022.
Significant progress has been made against all 19 recommendations arising from the PIR which can now be closed, the report said.
The report is a review of ONR’s progress against the recommendations made in the PIR which was published in July 2022, endorsing ONR’s effectiveness as a regulator.
The PIR follow-up report was developed by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, working closely with the Department for Works and Pensions and ONR.
The report highlights the extensive evidence provided by ONR to reflect the significant work it has undertaken to address the recommendations during a period of considerable change across both civil and defence nuclear sectors in the UK.
It details how ONR has evolved to support future nuclear development and innovation, specifically citing the regulator’s successful launch of the world’s first nuclear regulatory sandbox, which explored the regulation of artificial intelligence (AI) within the industry. Encouraging the nuclear industry and its supply chain to adopt innovative solutions, PIR authors wrote.
The report also noted that “ONR has also taken significant action to streamline the Generic Design Assessment process in recent years,” referencing work carried out in response to government requests for all regulators to consider how processes can be accelerated to support the effective deployment of nuclear reactors including Small Modular Reactors.
Mark Foy, ONR’s Chief Executive and Chief Nuclear Inspector, said: “We welcome this latest government report on ONR's regulation and the insight it offers.
“Since the publication of the report in 2022 we have been committed to actioning all the recommendations and I am pleased that we that we have achieved this.
“The recommendations from the 2022 report have helped us on our journey of continuous improvement and ensure we remain a modern, transparent regulator delivering trusted outcomes.”
The 2022 review was commissioned by government and conducted by an independent reviewer, under Part 3 of the Energy Act 2013, which established ONR in 2014.