Nuclear Power Stations (Hansard, 11 March 1988)

§ Mr. Michael Spicer

I am advised by the HSE's Nuclear Installations Inspectorate that the current demographic criteria for assessing potential AGR sites were developed in the late 1960s. These and more restrictive criteria of a similar type are used as guidelines for controlling development in the vicinity of existing AGR and Magnox stations respectively. Once a site has been accepted for a nuclear station arrangements are made to ensure that residential and industrial developments are so controlled that the general characteristics of the site are preserved, and therefore local authorities consult the inspectorate with regard to any proposed development which might lead to an increase in population close to the site and on larger developments further from the site. Limiting criteria based upon population distribution are used only for guidance and the inspectorate would not necessarily insist on rigid adherence to them. Other unquantifiable factors are also taken into account.

The limiting criteria are in the form of cumulative weighted population out to various distances all around the site and in any 30 deg. sector. To assess a site against the criteria at a certain distance, the population for a given distance band is multiplied by the appropriate weighting factor and the values up to the distance being evaluated are added together. The weighting factors and limiting criteria for Magnox and AGR sites are:

Distance (Km)	Weighting factors	Cumulative population Magnox	Weighted criteria AGR
Population all around site
0–2	32.0	45,000	290,000
2–3	15.0	69,000	520,000
3–5	7.7	120,000	870,000
5–8	4.0	180,000	1,300,000
Population in 30 deg. sector
0–	26.0	23,000	96,000

359W

Distance (km)	Weighting factors	Cumulative population Magnox	Weighted criteria AGR
2–3	12.0	37,000	170,000
3–5	5.6	48,000	290,000
5–8	2.8	56,000	430,000

Magnox reactors in concrete pressure vessels such as Oldbury and Wylfa would be allowed some relaxation of the general Magnox criteria if necessary.

The total populations around Magnox and AGR stations and the populations in the most restrictive 30 deg. sector are:

Population around Magnox power stations (1981 Census data)
Distance (km)	Total	30° sector
Hinkley Point
0 to 2	120	40
2 to 3	300	110
3 to 5	1,200	650
5 to 8	2,800	670
Berkeley
0 to 2	320	260
2 to 3	2,000	1,400
3 to 5	7,900	190
5 to 8	8,300	730
Trawsfynydd
0 to 2	320	60
2 to 3	290	20
3 to 5	1,500	640
5 to 8	5,400	4,000
Calder Hall
0 to 2	140	20
2 to 3	2,100	1,500
3 to 5	2,300	300
5 to 8	8,100	270
Sizewell
0 to 2	140	30
2 to 3	3,200	3,100
3 to 5	3,600	2,000
5 to 8	4,200	400
Bradwell
0 to 2	460	340
2 to 3	190	60
3 to 5	7,200	30
5 to 8	3,900	30
Dungeness
0 to 2	60	40
2 to 3	140	140
3 to 5	590	230
5 to 8	6,000	140
Oldbury
0 to 2	250	50
2 to 3	260	60
3 to 5	1,800	1,100
5 to 8	30,000	11,000
Wylfa
0 to 2	460	290
2 to 3	730	570
3 to 5	1,100	60
5 to 8	1,600	240
Hunterston
0 to 2	50	30
2 to 3	100	10
3 to 5	6,400	4,200
5 to 8	1,400	70

360W

Distance (km)	Total	30° sector
Chapelcross
0 to 2	250	10
2 to 3	410	230
3 to 5	11,000	8,200
5 to 8	3,100	220

Population around AGR stations (1981 census data)
Distance (Km)	Total	30° sector
Heysham 'A'
0 to 2	2,400	2,100
2 to 3	3,900	2,900
3 to 5	13,000	4,300
5 to 8	38,000	26,000
Heysham 'B'
0 to 2	2,200	2,100
2 to 3	3,700	3,100
3 to 5	13,000	11,000
5 to 8	40,000	24,000
Hartlepool
0 to 2	200	0
2 to 3	2,900	1,900
3 to 5	27,000	13,000
5 to 8	130,000	37,000
Torness
0 to 2	140	50
2 to 3	210	5
3 to 5	510	70
5 to 8	3,000	0

Population data for other AGRs at Hinkley Point, Dungeness and Hunterston are not given separately since control is exercised using the more restrictive Magnox criteria.