Nuclear facilitiesCritics: U.K. nuclear watchdog plagued by “indefensible” conflicts of interest

Britain’s nuclear watchdog, the Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR), is receiving technical advice from companies it is tasked with monitoring, leading industry insiders to accuse the watchdog of accepting advice tainted with “unbelievable” conflicts of interest.

ONR monitors nuclear sites throughout the country, including the Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE) in Berkshire and Hinkley Point civil energy reactors in Somerset.

The Independent reports that in April, ONR issued American engineering conglomerate Jacobs a 5-year contract to help evaluate external hazards and decontamination relating to the agency’s work on existing nuclear sites and future reactor designs. ONR has also contracted Amec for advice on reactor chemistry and radiation protection, while the consulting group Arup and building firm Sir Robert McAlpine often assist with civil engineering issues.

These companies have interests in Britain’s nuclear sector. Jacobs is part of the group that owns AWE, which builds and maintains the U.K. nuclear defense deterrent, Trident. Amec is tasked with cleaning up Sellafield, labeled one of the world’s most complicated nuclear decommissioning sites. Amec and Jacobs are providing Horizon Nuclear Power engineering expertise on proposed plants at Wylfa on the Island of Anglesey and Oldbury in south Gloucestershire. Arup once worked for the power generator RWE Npower on assessing potential sites for new nuclear power stations in Cumbria. Building firm Sir Robert McAlpine built thirteen of Britain’s nuclear plants.

Many are questioning whether ONR is able to make independent decisions when relying on advice from companies it is meant to regulate, noting that ONR has become an independent agency just a month ago, having previously reported to the Health and Safety Executive.

“It’s so obvious that this is a conflict of interest, it’s such a straightforward conflict of interest. This is indefensible,” said Dr. David Lowry, a member of Nuclear Waste Advisory Associates.

ONR’s chairman, Nick Baldwin, noted that the agency is concerned about possible conflicts of interest, but that there is a “small gene pool” of firms capable of advising ONR inspectors. Baldwin insisted that not one individual acts both as adviser and worker on a contract monitored by ONR.

“ONR would not tolerate a situation in which a person carrying out assessment for ONR is also working on a related matter for a current or prospective licensee. Should a potential conflict of interest emerge, we have a clear protocol that provides a robust process and defines clear criteria against which the emerging conflict can be judged,” said an ONR spokesman.

Tim Yeo, chairman of the House of Commons Energy and Climate Change Committee, defended ONR, saying that “historically the record of the regulator is pretty good. The public has trust in the integrity of the regulator.”