§ Mr. Ashdownasked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the main purposes to which (a) the proposed 289W new plutonium factory at Aldermaston and (b) the new prototype pressurised water propulsion reactor at Dounreay are intended to be put.
§ Mr. ButlerThe new capital facilities at AWRE Aldermaston to which the question refers will replace existing facilities for processing nuclear materials in order to maintain the British nuclear warhead programme and to ensure the achievement of essential health and safety standards.
Pressurised water reactors are used for all seagoing nuclear power plants. The new prototype pressurised water propulsion reactor, known as PWR2, is the second generation reactor. It will be used to power the Trident submarines and the next generation of nuclear powered hunter killer submarines. The prototype recently installed at Dounreay will be used for development tests and trials.