U.K. Nuclear Plants Get Clean Bill of Health

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Written by Martin Lynch, European News Editor for Industrial Info (Galway, Ireland)--The U.K.'s ambitious new nuclear build programme will benefit from the publication of a report by the Chief Nuclear Inspector, which declares that the current fleet of nuclear plants have no safety weaknesses.

Dr. Mike Weightman, the U.K.'s Chief Nuclear Inspector led an international team for the International Energy Agency (IEA) to inspect the damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant in Japan, in June. He was tasked by the government to assess the impact of the Fukushima disaster on the country's existing fleet of ageing nuclear plants and its plans to build up to eight new nuclear plants. The government put its new build programme on hold for three months in April to assess the implications of Fukushima. For additional information, see April 7, 2011, article - Three-Month Delay Hits U.K. Nuclear Plans.

In his final report, Weightman concludes that while there are no weaknesses at older nuclear plants in the U.K., there are many lessons that can be learned from the events that struck Fukushima last March. The report calls on government, industry and regulators to review 38 areas where improvements can be made. They include reliance on off-site infrastructure such as the electrical grid supply in extreme events, emergency response arrangements, layout of plant, risks associated with flooding, planning controls around nuclear facilities and prioritising safety reviews.

"I remain confident that our U.K. nuclear facilities have no fundamental safety weaknesses," Weightman said. "The Office for Nuclear Regulation already requires protection of nuclear sites against the worst-case scenarios that are predictable for the U.K. But we are not complacent."

He added: "I led a team of international nuclear experts on a fact-finding mission to Japan in June and we visited Fukushima Daiichi. We had access to much detailed information, and met and talked to the workers who took extraordinary and brave actions to deal with the crisis. The findings from this International Atomic Energy Agency mission, from the detailed technical reports the Japanese government has supplied, and from other evidence submitted to me, have informed my report to the Secretary of State."

Energy Secretary Chris Huhne, commented on the report's findings: "The report makes clear that the U.K. has one of the best nuclear safety regimes in the world and that nuclear power can go on powering homes and businesses across the U.K., as well as supporting jobs. We must, however, continue to improve where we can, not just with operating power stations and new sites but by dealing with our nuclear legacy in a robust and effective manner too."

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