'Significant and sustained' safety improvements have been made at a Kent power station.

It means Dungeness B, on Romney Marsh, has been moved out of 'enhanced' regulatory attention and returned to 'routine' regulatory attention by the Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR).

The nuclear industry regulator placed the nuclear plant into enhanced regulatory attention in late 2018 following concerns about safety management and culture at the site.

It was the same year both reactors were shut down, due to several age-related engineering issues, including corrosion of concealed systems.

The ONR carried out interventions at EDF-owned Dungeness B which was engaged in an extensive corrosion management programme of remediation work, overseen by inspectors.

The watchdog also says the concerns about safety management and culture have now been addressed through an extensive and wide-ranging ‘performance improvement programme’.

A second site, The Atomic Weapons Establishment’s (AWE) Burghfield site in Berkshire, has also returned to routine regulatory attention.

Mike Finnerty, ONR’s operating facilities director, said: “Over a number of years we have worked very closely with both AWE and EDF through our enabling approach to ensure that the safety improvements required at both sites have been delivered.

“I’m satisfied that both sites have demonstrated evidence of significant and sustained safety improvements which has allowed us to return them to routine regulatory attention."

In June 2021, EDF announced their decision not to restart the Dungeness B nuclear power plant and instead move it into the defuelling phase with immediate effect.

This was seven years earlier than expected.

Mr Finnerty added: “Although the station will not restart generating, the improvements delivered at Dungeness B will still be crucial to supporting the safe defuelling and decommissioning of the reactor site.

“Therefore, I’m pleased that our inspectors have witnessed significant and sustained improvements made by the site which have allowed its return to routine regulatory attention.”

John Benn, station director at Dungeness B, added: “The way we work has been transformed in recent years.

"We have implemented performance improvement programmes, challenged and changed the working culture on the station and tackled, head-on, a range of incredibly complex engineering issues.

"Working closely with our regulator has meant that all of the improvements have been plain to see.

"This ONR decision is testament to the hard work and high standards everyone in our team works to."

Burghfield had been in enhanced regulatory attention for approximately eight years due to safety and cultural performance issues.

ONR will continue to regulate the performance of both sites to ensure that the improvements in safety performance are sustained.

In 2021, EDF was served with enforcement action following a 'significant lapse' in safety at the power plant.

The incident in question saw chemical damage occur within some of the tubes in the station's boilers.