nuclear-news

Delays and yet more delays – safety issues for £24.5bn Hinkley Point nuclear power project

• Nuclear power: UK ‘must learn’ from French reactor concerns BBC 18 April 2015 Lessons should be learned from problems with a French reactor that is very similar to one planned in the UK, says Britain’s nuclear safety regulator.

French regulators have been informed of “manufacturing anomalies” in components “particularly important for safety” at Flamanville 3 power plant, in Normandy.
The reactor is similar to one planned for Hinkley Point, in Somerset.

EDF Energy – involved in both projects – said a new series of tests was under way and it was working with regulators.

An investigation revealed potential weaknesses in the steel used to make a safety casing around the reactor at Flamanville, near Cherbourg……..

By Joe Lynam, BBC business correspondent

These safety issues in France could lead to even further delays in the construction and completion of the proposed £24.5bn Hinkley Point nuclear power plant.

It has already been delayed by months as the government negotiated a contract for EDF to supply electricity at a guaranteed price for 35 years.

The final decision on the project is expected in the coming months but is also delayed by Britain not having a fully functioning government – something which could be exacerbated if talks on forming a government drag on after the election……..

The components in question have not yet been fitted at Hinkley, but it would cost money and could delay the project if they had to be entirely re-made.

http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-32365888

April 20, 2015 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | general