AIC / EIC meaning

AIC/EIC refers to an Alternative/Emergency Indication Centre: a resilient fallback room on a nuclear site that provides independent plant-status and radiological indications, with secure communications, so the operator can assess conditions and support the emergency response if the main control room is unavailable or must be evacuated (for example, due to loss of habitability). The term is descriptive rather than a defined statutory term. It commonly appears in nuclear site emergency plans and safety cases to demonstrate compliance with the Great Britain site licence regime (notably Site Licence Condition 11 on emergency arrangements) and with REPPIR 2019 on emergency preparedness and response. ONR guidance and operator procedures typically address the AIC/EIC’s activation criteria, staffing, testing and maintenance. Typical features include qualified and diverse indication of key parameters, resilient power (UPS/diesel), redundant data links, protected location, and integration with the site Emergency Control Centre and off-site responders. Usage is broadly consistent across England and Wales and Scotland for GB nuclear-licensed sites. Northern Ireland and Ireland have no nuclear power stations; while equivalent emergency centres exist within national radiological emergency frameworks, “AIC/EIC” is not commonly used in legislation there and may appear only in cross-border planning or industry documentation.