The UK Nuclear Installations Inspectorate (NII) has criticised operators of the Dounreay nuclear site in north Scotland for receiving irradiated fuel without the regulators’ permission.
Natural uranium oxide fuel that had been irradiated at Winfrith, in England, was transferred to Dounreay without the agreement of the NII.
NII said the move broke a legal requirement placed on Dounreay in 1997, which required plant operator, the UKAEA, to seek NII agreement before receiving irradiated fuel.
The regulators have formally repeated the legal requirement to the UKAEA as a result of the legal breach.