Evacuation model for Sizewell Nuclear Power Station

Challenge

In 2013, we were appointed by the Suffolk Joint Emergency Planning Unit to examine the road network in the vicinity of Sizewell Nuclear Power Station and produce an evacuation model and plan, to get the affected population to safety in the event of an emergency scenario. This was used by Suffolk Joint Emergency Planning Unit and the Emergency Services to inform their evacuation plan.

A new nuclear power station is proposed at Sizewell, so part of the brief was to assess the emergency planning arrangements of this development and others using the model.

Solution

We developed an evacuation model to determine the time and optimum routes to evacuate the population to safety. It is understood to be the first model of its kind in the UK.

Impact

A number of variables were tested to see the effect they would have on evacuation routes and timelines. For example, in the event of an incident at Sizewell, depending on wind direction, a contaminated cloud may preclude the use of certain routes.

The technical work also assessed the implications of future development growth on an evacuation of the area and any potential constraints to growth.