BRITAIN: Unexplained cracks in the reactor cores of Britain's atomic power stations have been uncovered by nuclear inspectors, it was reported yesterday.
The safety assessments, obtained under the Freedom of Information Act, show the Nuclear Safety Directorate has issued warnings over the state of the reactor cores at Hinkley Point B in Somerset and other UK nuclear plants.
The Guardian reported that the directorate also criticised British Energy, which runs 13 advanced gas-cooled nuclear reactors, including Hinkley.
It is understood the documents state that British Energy is unaware of the full extent of the damage to the reactor cores, cannot explain why the cracking has occurred and is unable to monitor the deterioration.
The Nuclear Safety Directorate says it does not believe there is any immediate risk to the public but believes the appearance of the reactor core cracks puts questions over the future of other nuclear plants of the same design. But the most recent safety checks of Hinkley, completed in April, found that continued operation was likely to increase the risk of an accident, the directorate found.
An inspector reported: "While I do not believe that a large release [of radiation] is a likely scenario, some lesser event. . . is, I believe, inevitable at some stage if a vigilant precautionary approach is not adopted.
"There is an increased likelihood of increased risk should we agree to continued operation."
The papers, which were obtained by Greenpeace via Stop Hinkley, a local nuclear watchdog group, indicate the directorate requires more stringent inspections of the plants, which would require the closure of reactors for weeks.
In 2004, British Energy warned that its plants at Hinkley Point B, Hunterston B, Heysham 2 and Torness might not be able to extend their 30-year lives because of cracked bricks.
Yesterday, prime minister Tony Blair said energy security and climate change targets cannot be achieved without new nuclear power stations.
But he denied claims that he had pre-empted a forthcoming energy White Paper, to be published later this month, and insisted that he was responding to the evidence before him. He told the Commons Liaison Committee it was "very difficult" to see how Britain could secure energy supplies and meet emissions goals without replacing nuclear power.