Old Nuclear Reactors Unsafe

George · Old Nuclear Reactors Unsafe

There was an item on Newsnight last week that suggested that old reactors should not under any circumstances have their life extended.

This was on the back of a report that stated that graphite blocks within the reactor would in time crack ......note that they were not just susceptable to cracking but that they would definitely crack.

An independent academic stated on the programme that in his opinion the reactors should be shut down immediately and tests carried out to determine the extent of the cracking. His reasons were not only quite clear but very alarming, that if enough of the bricks were to crack then the reactor could collapse.

Now the worrying part of this is that no-one knows how many of these bricks have cracked nor do they know how long it takes for the cracking to reach a level where collapse is imminent.

There was no-one from the Nuclear Industry willing to take part in the show.

Cado

The first obvious point is that no one here (to my knowledge) and very few people in the UK are in a position to agree or disagree with this. Simply very few people are in a position to know whether this is true or not - there isn't anyway to create an argument over this - who is/can argue?

Basically what this nobbles any argument that we can extend the life of the older nuclear reactors - thus when they say they'll be kaput in x years - they mean they'll be kaput in x years.

So what he's saying to Govt - is make your mind up now.

azzuri

A friend of mine is a health and safety officer at the Hunterston B reactor...

I'll get in touch with him and report back whether it's hearsay or there really is a problem with this.

Aventinian

Cado

On the news this morning it said "a government report is expected to conclude that new power stations will need to be built"

First point - it annoys me when the news has been told about things before they've officially been released.

Second point - the government have made up their mind.

SLG

The government made up their mind a long time ago. It will be interesting to read the detail though and see how it might affect us north of the border.

Morph

was this not hinted at by Jack Mcconnell a month ago?

SLG

AFAIK he's still saying that they won't allow them to be built until the waste issue is resolved. There will soon be a report from the industry saying that the issue has been solved (by deep burial). That will be the interesting time, when we see if McConnell accepts that report on face value or continues his opposition on the grounds that the industry resolution is not good enough.

Morph

do you think he will even have a major say SLG or you think it will come down to Westminister in the end?

SLG

Oh he will have a major say. At the end of the day (as all the Labour Westminster MPs have been at pains to assure us) the final powers to decide lie with the Executive. Whether he will stand up to Westminster, or decide that it's no longer a vote loser, I have my doubts. He should be able to leave the question unanswered till after next May anyway. The only reason he hasn't taken the Westminster line already is because the SNP will then accuse him of not governing based on the will of the Scots people, but on behalf of his masters down south.