A nuclear power station being built in France using the same design earmarked for Hinkley Point in Somerset may have to restrict its output or could be abandoned because of the costs of correcting safety flaws, experts have warned. France’s nuclear safety regulator, the ASN, is testing the strength of steel used in the reactor pressure vessel at the plant in Flamanville in Normandy. Last year, it warned of “very serious anomalies”, including weak spots in the steel component which houses the reactor. An investigation is under way and a decision is expected next year. The same design has been proposed for use at Hinkley Point, where EDF plans to build two European Pressurised Reactors (EPRs) at a cost of £18 billion. Juha Poikola, a manager at TVO, the Finnish company that built the first nuclear reactor using the (EPR) design used at Flamanville, said that he expected French regulators to order EDF to cut the electric output from Flamanville to ensure that it is safe. The reactor could be approved for use running at 1,200 or 1,000 megawatts rather than its official 1,630MW capacity, for example. “That would be very bad for the economics of the plant,” said Stephen Thomas, an expert in nuclear energy at the University of Greenwich. He said that the pressure vessel was “the most safety crucial piece of kit in a nuclear power station”. He added: “There must be no credible possibility that the vessel should break. If it does the contents of the reactor would spill everywhere.” Mr Poikula said that another, less likely outcome for Flamanville, would be for the ASN to order the pressure vessel to be replaced. Such a decision could force EDF to abandon the project because of the huge costs involved, he said. “In theory it is possible, but it’s the same as building a new plant,” Mr Poikula. “When you have the primary vessel installed it’s impossible to replace it. I have never heard of it being replaced. It’s so costly.”
Times 12th Sept 2016 read more »
It sounds like a resuscitation technique so it’s fitting that the EPR programme may soon be in need of CPR itself. The European pressurised reactor is the highly advanced but untested nuclear technology at the heart of the Hinkley debacle. As we reveal today, the wider EPR project — a flag carrier for the French nuclear industry — is in deep trouble. Now that there is no desperation to keep infrastructure spending off the balance sheet we can get on with the job of meeting future energy demand and pepping up a stagnant economy in one fell swoop. Mrs May should back funding a Hinkley-sized wave of wind turbines, gas-fired power stations and interconnectors. Indeed, the Parliamentary Advisory Group on Carbon Capture and Storage argues in a report today that investing in carbon capture and storage hubs could rejuvenate industrial areas such as Grangemouth and Teesside.
Times 12th Sept 2016 read more »
One such project is the Hinkley Point nuclear deal, which was put on hold at the start of the month. But just how much of an effect will the hiatus have on Britain’s economy? “It’s reasonable for a new prime minister to come in and re-examine commitments made by a previous prime minister,” says King. “The issue economically is not Hinkley itself, but rather the idea that the UK needs friends elsewhere in the world if our relationship with the EU is uncertain. We need to create better relationships with the Americans, the Brazilians, the Indians and Chinese – so if Hinkley has temporarily soured relations between the UK and China it’s not encouraging news.”
Times 12th Sept 2016 read more »
The chief executive of one of Britain’s ‘Big Six’ energy providers has told the UK Govt: “We don’t need the proposed new nuclear power plant at Hinkley”. And Alistair Phillips-Davies, Chief Executive of Perth-based SSE, said Britain need not worry about the Hinkley Point C decision because there are enough credible alternative projects – offshore wind and new gas-fired power stations – which could be built in time to deliver the balanced energy mix the country needs. Whilst it is undoubtedly true that we need new, cleaner technology to replace the older power stations coming off the system, he added, there are enough credible alternatives out there which can be built in time to deliver the balanced energy mix we need, and a policy framework which can deliver the necessary investment.
Scottish Energy News 12th Sept 2016 read more »