A nuclear expert has called for nuclear reactors in the UK to be "immediately shut down" after secret documents written by government inspectors reveal they contain structural defects.
The documents - which were passed to Greenpeace days before Tony Blair is expected to give the go-ahead to a new generation of nuclear power stations - show that the government's Nuclear Safety Directorate (NSD) has identified cracks in the cores of up to 14 UK reactors, rendering them at increased risk of a radiological accident.
Reactor cores - where nuclear reactions take place and are controlled - contain graphite bricks. The inspectors have found that not only are the bricks in the reactors extensively and unpredictably cracked, but the reactor operator, British Energy, doesn't know the full extent of the damage, nor how much cracking the cores can sustain before safety functions are compromised.
Jim Duffy, who lives in the shadow of Hinkley Point (which appears to be the worst affected nuclear power station), said: "I was appalled to read these documents. It is clear that Hinkley is unsafe and should be shut immediately... I'm extremely worried that Tony Blair seems hell-bent on leaving my children, and future generations, exposed to the legacy of our highly dangerous nuclear industry."
After analysing the documents, independent nuclear engineer John Large has concluded that the reactors should be shut down immediately. "The nuclear safety case for these reactors centres around the core remaining structurally sound during operation," he says.
Or, in the government inspectors' words: "there is significant uncertainty in the likelihood and consequences for core safety functionality posed by graphite component and core damage".
Stephen Tindale, executive director of Greenpeace has also called for the dangerous reactors to be shut down. "These documents don't just show the structural damage to nuclear reactors in the UK," he says. "They show the incompetence of the government and BE, who have known about these significant cracks yet have refused to do anything about it."
He continues: "It is clear that Tony Blair should shut these dangerous reactors down. Yet it's almost as if he feels that having to turn off AGR nuclear plants to prevent a nuclear accident might be problematic just before he formally announces his staggeringly irresponsible plan to build even more nuclear plants."
Tony Blair's energy review is due to end in a couple of weeks. Just yesterday, Blair told MPs that he now believes nuclear power stations are needed to tackle climate change. "Unless someone can show through energy efficiency and renewables you're going to be able to cure the whole of this problem," he said, "then I think that nuclear power goes back on the agenda."
Over recent months, Greenpeace has released several in-depth studies, reports and even a short film laying out exactly how the use of efficiency and renewables in a decentralised system can slash the UK's carbon emissions. In the face of today's frightening revelations about the state of the UK's AGR reactors, we call on Mr Blair to join David Cameron, Ming Campbell and Ken Livingstone in committing to urgently developing a decentralised energy system for a clean and safe energy future.
Download the documents:
September 2003
June 2005
November 2005
April 2006
Nuclear expert John Large's review of the leaked documents
