The first pictures have emerged of cracking in the graphite bricks which make up the core of nuclear reactors at Hunterston B Power Station in Ayrshire. Reactor three has not produced electricity since cracks were found to be forming quicker than expected. About 370 hairline fractures have been discovered which equates to about one in every 10 bricks in the reactor core. Owner EDF Energy says it does intend to seek permission from the Office of Nuclear Regulation (ONR) to restart. It first has to prove it can still shut down the North Ayrshire reactor, which has not produced electricity for a year, in all circumstances. Over 350 cracks found in Hunterston B nuclear reactor. The graphite bricks form the vertical channels within the reactor where the nuclear fuel is housed. They sit alongside narrower channels where control rods can be dropped into place to counteract the nuclear reaction. Tests and modelling have been undertaken to ensure that an earthquake would not distort the control channels and prevent the power station being shut down. Station Director Colin Weir told BBC Scotland: “Nuclear safety is our overriding priority and reactor three has been off for the year so that we can do further inspections. “We’ve carried out one of our biggest ever inspection campaigns on reactor three, we’ve renewed our modelling, we’ve done experiments and tests and we’ve analysed all the data from this to produce our safety case that we will submit to the ONR. Nuclear expert Prof Neil Hyatt from Sheffield University said: “The structural integrity of the graphite core has always been known to be the ultimate limiting factor to the lifetime of these reactors. So, ultimately there may come a point in time where those reactors have to come offline and are not able to restart.” Hunterston B is expected to continue producing electricity until 2023. If it were forced into decommissioning early because of the cracks – with others following suit – it could cause serious energy supply problems. With construction of a wave of new nuclear power stations running into difficulties, it would probably mean more of our power coming from fossil fuels such as gas. Concerns have also been raised about the consequences for local jobs if Hunterston closed early. It supports around 700 posts. Councillor Tom Marshall said: “Most of the large employers round about here have disappeared – from Greenock all the way down to Kilmarnock – and this is one of the last major employers. So, if it is safe to run most people locally would be happy to see it running.”
BBC 8th March 2019 read more »
