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Nuclear Site Licence Conditions

Updated: Dec 2, 2022

To assure the safety of nuclear installations in the UK, the ONR works on a regulatory control system based on a robust licensing process. A corporate body is granted a licence to use a site for specified activities.


The nuclear site licence granted by ONR is a legal document issued for the full life cycle of the facility. It contains site-specific information, such as the licensee's address and the site's location, and defines the number and type of installations permitted. Such installations include nuclear power stations, research reactors, nuclear fuel manufacturing and reprocessing, and the storage of radioactive matter in bulk.


A set of 36 Standard Conditions, covering design, construction, operation and decommissioning, is also attached to each licence. These conditions require licensees to implement adequate arrangements to ensure compliance.

  1. Interpretation

  2. Marking of the site boundary

  3. Control of property transactions

  4. Restrictions on nuclear matter on the site

  5. Consignment of nuclear matter

  6. Documents, records, authorities and certificates

  7. Incidents on the site

  8. Warning notices

  9. Instructions to persons on the site

  10. Training

  11. Emergency arrangements

  12. Duly authorised and other suitably qualified and experienced persons

  13. Nuclear safety committee

  14. Safety documentation

  15. Periodic review

  16. Site plans, designs and specifications

  17. Management systems

  18. Radiological protection

  19. Construction or installation of new plant

  20. Modification to design of plant under construction

  21. Commissioning

  22. Modification or experiment on existing plant

  23. Operating rules

  24. Operating instructions

  25. Operational records

  26. Control and supervision of operations

  27. Safety mechanisms, devices and circuits

  28. Examination, inspection, maintenance and testing

  29. Duty to carry out tests, inspections and examinations

  30. Periodic shutdown

  31. Shutdown of specified operations

  32. Accumulation of radioactive waste

  33. Disposal of radioactive waste

  34. Leakage and escape of radioactive material and radioactive waste

  35. Decommissioning

  36. Organisational capability



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