Issue details

Proposed Decision

TheCabinet Member for Community and Regulatory Services to agree to:

1.  The Reduction to the Detailed Emergency Planning zone (DEPZ) for offsite emergency planning for the Dungeness B Nuclear Power Station.

2.  Amendments to Kent County Councils Offsite Emergency Plan to reflect the reduction in risk around the site, following the defueling of the Dungeness B Nuclear Power Station, to reflect current planning assumptions.

Reason for the decision

Kent County Council (KCC) is responsible for Offsite Emergency Planning for the Dungeness B Nuclear Power Station, including the responsibility for determining a Detailed Emergency Planning Zone (DEPZ) around the power station. This is based on the operator’s recommendation (EDF). The zone identifies an area where urgent protective actions may be needed in the event of a radiation emergency. Due to defueling operations at the power station (as part of the decommissioning process), EDF are now recommending a reduction in the size of the DEPZ.

Background

For evacuation, EDF have assessed that a distance of less than 200m from the centre of Dungeness B’s reactor building is sufficient. This distance does not extend off-site onto public access land, and therefore evacuation is not recommended as an urgent protective action in the DEPZ. However, some residents and visitors to the area may choose to evacuate, and therefore arrangements will need to be made to shelter those people, should the need arise.

For sheltering, EDF have assessed that a distance of up to 300m from the centre of Dungeness B’s reactor building is sufficient. Even allowing for a release arising from elsewhere in the reactor building (rather than its centre), a distance of 300m would only affect areas close to the Dungeness site fence, notably the public beach to the south of the site. The closest dwellings (the Royal Naval Shore Signal Stations (RNSSS) cottages) are 300m from the northeast corner of the Dungeness B fence, or around 500m from the centre of the reactor building.

In defining the new DEPZ boundary, KCC have used geographic features such as roads and footpaths, an approach which complies with the Radiation Emergency Preparedness and Public Information Regulations (REPPIR) 19 regulations. The size of the current DEPZ is 13.62km² which was previously agreed by Environment and Transport Cabinet Committee. The reduction of  the size of the DEPZ from 13.62km² to 7.88km², will still allow KCC to consider protective actions to the wider public who live in, or who are visiting Dungeness.

Options (other options considered but discarded)

·         Do nothing.

Keeping the current DEPZ would keep a large Detailed Emergency Planning Zone that is not required due to the reduction in risk due to the decommissioning works at the power station.

How the proposed decision supports the Framing Kent's Future - Our Council Strategy 2022-2026

The decision concerns the provision of infrastructure for the community in the event of an emergency and forms part of KCC’s role in making Kent’s communities safe.

How the proposed decision supports Securing Kent’s Future 2022 -2026: Securing Kents Future - Budget Recovery Strategy.pdf

The decision results from a review of an existing Dungeness B Offsite Emergency Plan which will support local residents and provide multi-agency responders with the current risk around the Dungeness B Nuclear Power Station.