Designs for new UK nuclear reactors are unsafe – claim

[Kieran]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2 ... tor-design

"Britain's main safety regulator threw the government's energy plans into chaos tonight by damning the nuclear industry's leading designs for new plants. The Health and Safety Executive said it could not recommend plans for new reactors because of wide-ranging concerns about their safety.

The leading French and American reactors are central to plans for a nuclear renaissance aimed at keeping the lights on and helping to cut carbon emissions. The government needs to build a number of nuclear power stations in the next 10 years to replace old atomic and coal plants.

But the HSE has to approve the safety of the designs before they can be built. "We have identified a significant number of issues with the safety features of the design that would first have to be progressed. If these are not progressed satisfactorily then we would not issue a design acceptance confirmation," the agency concluded following a study of the latest French EPR and US AP1000 reactor designs."

Article continues...

[kenneal - lagger]

Gordon is so desparate to leave an energy legacy that he might by-pass the HSE as he did with the planning system and the Infrastructure Planning Commission. We'll just have to wait and see.