nuclear-news

Cracks in Hunterston B nuclear power station indicate aging of UK reactor fleet

Cracks found at reactor at Hunterston B nuclear power station  By David Miller BBC 7 Oct 14 Scotland environment correspondent New cracks have been found in one of the reactors at Hunterston B nuclear power station in North Ayrshire. Two of about 3,000 graphite bricks in the core of reactor four are affected.

Plant operator, EDF Energy, said the cracking was predicted to occur as the station aged and it would not affect the safe operation of the reactor. Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said the issue was “hugely concerning” to the public and that the Scottish government was seeking reassurances.

“The Scottish government is seeking the information we need to assure the public about safety, because safety is absolutely paramount and cannot be compromised,” she said……..Anti-nuclear groups said the issue called in to question the future of nuclear power.

WWF Scotland director Lang Banks said: “These cracks are a sign that we can expect these nuclear facilities to become increasingly unreliable in the future.

“As Scotland continues to grow its renewables capacity we can look forward to a day when we can switch off nuclear power for good.”

Peter Roach, editor of the No to Nuclear Power website, told Radio Scotland that it was time the gas-cooled reactors were retired.

“These reactors are getting too old to keep going for much longer,” he said.

“They’re about 40 years old and there’s definitely a problem with the cracking in the graphite blocks that one nuclear engineer has described as gambling with public safety.” http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-29502329

October 8, 2014 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | general