Publication of International Atomic Energy Agency review of Operational Safety at Heysham 2 Power Station
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has published its review of Heysham 2 power station’s operational safety following a three week visit to the station in October 2023.
The visit was carried out by an Operational Safety Review Team (OSART) made up of nuclear industry experts from across the world. The IAEA has carried out more than 200 of these reviews since 1982. They provide a thorough review of operational safety at nuclear power stations and promote sharing of good practice and continuous development of the industry.
The review team noted nine areas of good practice at Heysham 2 which can be replicated globally and provided eight recommendations for further improvement.
Heysham 2 Station Director, Martin Cheetham, said: “The nuclear industry is always working to drive forward improvement, which is why regular in-depth reviews involving international experts are important. They supplement our own internal processes and our work with our regulator, the ONR.
“The three week review at Heysham 2 enabled a thorough assessment of operational safety at the station, helping to ensure that the IAEA’s global safety standards are met and good practices shared across the world. The report highlights strengths in training, operations and chemistry and also made recommendations in areas where we could improve further.
“Safety is our overriding priority and we greatly value the recommendations provided to the station. We have also invited the IAEA back to review our progress.”
You can read the OSART report here.
About EDF
EDF is driving the transition towards An Electric Britain – a secure, affordable, low-carbon future for everyone. As Britain’s biggest generator of zero carbon electricity, we are investing more than £100 million weekly in Britain’s electricity infrastructure. We supply millions of customers with electricity and help homes and businesses switch to electricity for heating, transport and industrial processes.
We operate five nuclear power stations and more than 35 onshore wind farms and three offshore wind farms. Since 2009, EDF has invested almost £9 billion in the nuclear fleet to improve reliability and extend station lifetimes. The five generating stations currently supply about 12% of the UK’s electricity demand.
EDF is building the UK's nuclear renaissance with the construction of a new nuclear power station at Hinkley Point C. We are a minority investor (12.5%) in and major supplier to a replica plant at Sizewell C in Suffolk. Hinkley Point C and Sizewell C will provide low carbon electricity to meet 14% of UK demand and power around 12 million homes. EDF Group companies Framatome and Arabelle Solutions have a presence in the UK and manufacture critical equipment such as reactor pressure vessels and turbines.
EDF is enabling its 5 million customers, both in business and at home, to choose electric solutions that save cash and carbon, whether it is buying an electric car, generating and storing electricity, selling energy back to the grid or installing solar panels or a heat pump. In 2025, EDF’s Customers business was ranked as one of the Sunday Times’s Best Place to Work.
It is also one of the UK’s leading developers of renewable energy through EDF power solutions UK and Ireland. We have more than 2GW of renewable generation in operation and over 10GW in construction, planning and development across a range of technologies including onshore and offshore wind, solar and battery storage.
We are one of the largest suppliers to British business and a leading supplier of innovative energy solutions that are helping businesses become more energy independent. In addition, the company’s energy services business, Dalkia, one of the UK and Ireland’s largest technical service providers.
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