Arup to evaluate risks of extreme climate change for UK nuclear regulator
The UK’s nuclear energy watchdog has contracted experts from Arup to evaluate the risks climate change poses to nuclear facilities. The engineering consultancy will also compile a guide for the integration of digital engineering into nuclear regulation.
The nuclear industry needs to stay attuned to global trends and integrate insights from various disciplines into the safety design and construction of nuclear facilities. Understanding the long-term impacts of climate change is essential because of the significant investments associated with nuclear sites.
The UK Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR) is the country's independent nuclear regulator, with the legal authority to regulate nuclear safety, civil nuclear security and safeguards, and conventional health and safety at licensed nuclear sites in Britain. As it looks to address these concerns for both climate and digital risk, it has appointed global engineering and built environment consultancy, Arup, to review its response.
Arup has been commissioned by ONR to contribute to research aimed at evaluating whether existing extreme climate change scenarios, used to plan for the impact of external hazards such as flooding and extreme air temperatures, need to be adjusted or adapted for use in UK-specific risk assessments and planning.
As nuclear power stations are safety critical infrastructure, they need to be designed for a high return period and therefore extreme environmental loads, including earthquake, tsunami and wave loading, flooding, wind and snow. Arup already has extensive experience, when it comes to helping the ONR ensure the UK’s stations are up to that task. For over ten years Arup has supported the ONR throughout the generic design assessments of four new nuclear power station technologies proposed for the UK.
Jeremy Stain, nuclear leader at Arup, commented, “Building on our track record of support to ONR, our experience advising UK government on the roll out of new technologies and our engineering heritage in infrastructure schemes, Arup’s expertise will help prepare ONR for the challenges the industry faces relating to changes in the environment, digital engineering and personnel.”
Nuclear engagements
Elsewhere, Arup is also collaborating with Oaklin and MCM to bring its extensive knowledge management expertise to the UK nuclear industry for ONR. These efforts ensure the retention and effective use of critical knowledge within the nuclear sector, while embracing technical advancements, staying responsive to global trends and improving resource efficiency to enable ONR to support the UK Government’s goals of energy security and net-zero emissions.
