(Un)Safety
Nuclear power is not as safe as they want us to believe. Nuclear regulators from the UK, France and Finland sent a joint letter to Areva, the makers of the European Pressurised Reactor (EPR), in October 2009, about problems with the design’s Control and Instrumentation (C&I) systems. One independent expert says the design suffers from serious safety flaws which could lead a minor incident to develop into a severe accident. The French group Sortir du Nucléaire published leaked documents showing the design presents a serious risk of a major accident.
The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission sent the design of the Westinghouse AP1000 proposed for Britain back to the drawing board, because the Safety Shield Building – the outer structure surrounding the containment – does not meet “fundamental engineering standards” and may not protect the reactor from “external” events like earthquakes, tornadoes and high winds, or withstand a direct hit from a commercial airliner. The UK regulator asked Westinghouse to provide fresh evidence that the design was sufficiently strong.
Interim assessment reports on the two designs published in November 2009 expressed “significant concerns”.
Pete Roche