Stress Tests
Reassessments of the UKs 33 operating or shutdown nuclear reactors following the disaster at Fukushima Dai-ichi have revealed no fundamental weaknesses. A report by the Office for Nuclear Regulation, the UKs independent nuclear safety regulator, confirmed that UK sites, including Hinkley Point in Somerset, have made improvements to enhance safety by learning from events in Japan.
Western Daily Press 7th Jan 2012 more >>
Radwaste
Industrial design work is set to begin for a deep geological repository for France’s high- and intermediate-level radioactive waste following the signing of a contract between French radioactive waste agency Andra and a joint venture of two engineering companies.
World Nuclear News 5th Jan 2012 more >>
Trident
AN INDEPENDENT Scotland committed to banishing nuclear warheads from Faslane would impose disarmament on the whole of the UK, a leading defence expert declares today. In an article for Scotland on Sunday, William Walker, professor of international relations at St Andrews University, says the SNP policy of removing Trident from Scotland after independence would amount to a promise to shut down the UKs nuclear deterrent and enforce its disarmament. As a result, an independent Scots government might have to compromise on removing the weapons or leave the UK without a nuclear shield. This is because nowhere else in the UK is suitable to house both the submarines and missiles at a realistic cost, he says.
Scotland on Sunday 8th Jan 2012 more >>
William Walker: The SNP routinely asserts that, come independence, Trident will and can go because alternative sites to Faslane on the Gareloch (the submarine base) and Coulport on Loch Long (where warheads and missiles are stored and loaded) can be found in England. This is implausible. Although a harbour might be adapted to function like Faslane, establishing another Coulport at a location that would meet stringent safety and logistic requirements would be extremely difficult. Furthermore, transfer south would require huge investments to replace infrastructure built in Scotland over decades.
Scotland on Sunday 8th Jan 2012 more >>
