Torness is a nuclear power station on the east coast of Scotland, capable of supplying electricity to over 2 million homes.

Operator EDF Energy required a variation to their permit from the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA), in relation to the Total Residual Oxidant (TRO) within the water used to cool the station’s power transformer.

ABPmer was commissioned to assess the decay and dispersion of TRO within the receiving waters and examine resultant TRO concentrations against environmental quality standards (EQS).

We undertook a detailed desk assessment, and subsequently developed a detailed hydrodynamic and dispersion model of the site to simulate the dilution afforded to the discharge.

The model extended several tidal excursions to the north and south of the site, and utilised detailed nearshore bathymetry from the UK Admiralty, and LiDAR data from Scottish Government. It was driven over a spring – neap cycle from boundary conditions extracted from ABPmer’s calibrated and validated SEASTATES European Shelf Tide and Surge Model and validated against the results from a detailed flow measurement campaign.

Factoring in water samples and evidence of marine growth from the site into the modelling analysis, it was concluded that the transformer cooling water would easily achieve the EQS limit.

Our modelling and analysis were submitted as part of EDF’s permit variation application, which was granted by SEPA.

Header image courtesy EDF

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