Fresh concerns over new nuclear

8.34.00pm GMT Sun 29th Nov 2009

A new report from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has raised fresh questions over the deliverability of Britain's next generation of nuclear reactors. The Public Report by the Nuclear Directorate of the Health and Safety Executive on the Generic Design Assessment of New Nuclear Reactor Designs was made public on Friday and Kevin Allars, HSE's Director of New Build GDA said:

"These are, in effect, mid-point progress reports on our assessment of both designs.

"Although we have made good progress, initial resource shortages in some technical areas and insufficient information from the design companies in others, has limited the extent of assessment sampling that we have been able to do.

Whilst the HSE report said that they did "believe the UK EPR could be suitable for construction on licensed sites in the UK", it went on to say that they had "identified a significant number of issues with the safety features of the design that would first have to be progressed."

John Large, a leading nuclear consultant, has raised the prospect of the HSE delaying approval of the designs for a number of years stating:

"The HSE as an independent agency will come under tremendous pressure to push through these designs.

"But if it stands up to (the) government and stops or delays these designs for two or three years until it is satisfied then developers could lose interest and we could fall behind in the queue of countries waiting to build nuclear."

Theo Butt Philip, Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Candidate for Bridgwater and West Somerset, which covers Hinkley Point, said:

"It is becoming increasingly obvious that the Government's proposed new generation of nuclear reactors will not be delivered on time. These delays make the argument that nuclear can be used to fill our immediate energy very questionable.

"Rather than investing time and money in outdated and expensive technology like nuclear power, we should be investing in renewable energy sources such as wind, tide and solar."