Safety is our number one priority. Nuclear power stations are highly regulated in all security and safety matters. Our safety standards are rightly very high and our emergency arrangements are rigorously planned and rehearsed.
Protecting the public
There are three main obligations:
- Moral: we have a moral duty to protect both personnel on site and the public. We must have robust emergency plans and demonstrate them to the outside agencies and the public.
- Legal: under the Nuclear Installations Act, Ionising Radiation Regulations 1999, Radiation Emergency Preparedness and Public Information Regulation (REPPIR), we must ensure safe operations by preventing accidents happening and make arrangements to respond to an emergency should one occur.
- Commercial: a successful company is also a safe company, so it is in our interest to make very effective emergency arrangements that can respond to accidents to manage business continuity effectively.
To meet these obligations, the approach we use combines EDF Energy's own expertise with the coordinated national approach of the emergency services, local authorities and Government agencies.
EDF has four priorities to protect in an emergency:
- Firstly the public, by alerting off-site organisations of any countermeasures necessary to protect the public and providing information prior to and during an emergency event.
- Secondly, personnel on site, by ensuring that personnel are adequately protected and accounted for.
- Thirdly, the environment, by monitoring the environment in and around the affected site.
- And finally, the plant, by dealing with any plant damage and returning the plant to a safe state
More information
Nuclear Power Stations Emergency Plans
- Dungeness B Site Emergency Plan
- Hartlepool Site Emergency Plan
- Heysham Site Emergency Plan
- Hinkley Point B Emergency Plan
- Hunterston B Emergency Plan
- Sizewell B Emergency Plan
- Torness Emergency Plan
Nuclear Power Stations Radiation (Emergency Preparedness Information) Regulations 2019 (REPPIR): Consequences Reports

Safety and Reporting
For more information on Safety and Reporting please consult Our Journey to Zero Harm (PDF)
Nuclear plant status
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