§ Lord HYLTONasked Her Majesty's Government:
What were the causes and effects of the recent fire within the French nuclear re-processing plant at Cap de la Hague; whether similar accidents are possible within British plants; and to what extent the Channel Islands were adversely affected by radiation and otherwise as a result of the fire.
The Earl of GOWRIEThe Government have received information from the French authorities that a fire in the transformer system at Cap de la Hague nuclear re-processing plant on 16th April interrupted electricity supplies and led to the temporary shut down of the plant.
I understand that electricity supplies were restored to the highly active fission product areas within three quarters of an hour, and to plant ventilation within two hours, that the consequent degree of contamination of plant was therefore extremely slight, and that the affected areas have since been decontaminated.
I also understand that there was no escape of radiation from the plant and consequently no hazard to people in France or the Channel Islands.
I am advised that electricity supply arrangements at the United Kingdom's re-processing plant at BNFL Windscale differ from those at Cap de la Hague. Secure electrical supplies are provided from the national grid, and separate supplies are paralleled from the Calder generating station which adjoins the Windscale plant. The international works distribution system incorporates both segregation and duplication of supplies. A fire in a single area could not therefore disrupt electricity supplies from both 251WA sources. The site does, in any case, have emergency stand-by generators in addition to the two parallel sources of electricity.