§ Mr. Campbell-Savoursasked the Secretary of State for Energy if he will make a statement as to the comparative safety performance of advanced gas-cooled reactors and Magnox nuclear reactors; and what equivalent information he has about the RBMK reactor systems of the type used at Chernobyl and about the comparative arrangements for the containment within these different reactor types of a failure of the nuclear component of the plant.
§ Mr. GoodladThe Magnox and AGR stations operating in the United Kingdom have an excellent safety record. There has been no incident involving significant radiological hazard to the public in the 29 years since the commissioning of the first Magnox station. They are regularly inspected by the Nuclear Installations Inspectorate of the HSE.
No equivalent information is available on the safety record of the RBMK system used at Chernobyl, which is quite different in design from any reactor in use or proposed for use n the United Kingdom. I am advised that in Magnox Reactors, which have strong primary containments, the coolant is a gas, which never becomes more than mildly radioactive and secondary means for containing coolant in the event of a leak have been judged unnecessary. Any water-cooled reactor proposed for licensing in the United Kingdom would require not only a strong primary containment but also an adequate secondary containment to prevent the escape of radioactive coolant to the environment. The Chernobyl RBMK reactor appears to have had some containment, both of reactor and for escaped coolant, but of inadequate strength.
§ Mr. Foulkesasked the Secretary of State for Energy what assessment he has made of the extent to which the Magnox reactors and the advanced gas-cooled reactors at Hinkley Point, Trawsfynydd, Heysham and Hunterston
354Wmeet those of the Nuclear Installations Inspectorate's safety standards which have been introduced since those reactors were first constructed.
§ Mr. GoodladIn the United Kingdom, the operation of commercial nuclear power stations is regulated by a comprehensive set of regulations. The responsibility of ensuring that nuclear power stations are safe rests with the licensees, within the terms of the site licences issued by the Health and Safety Executive. The Nuclear Installations Inspectorate of the HSE carries out a continuous programme of assessment and inspection to ensure that each station is operated in accordance with the conditions attached to the site licence. In addition to this continuous programme of assessment the NII has required the operators of the Magnox nuclear power stations to carry out long-term safety reviews of their stations at about 20 years' operating life. The objectives of these long-term reviews are to confirm that the stations are safe for continued operation; to identify any potential life-limiting factors; and to compare the installations with modern safety standards in order to determine if any improvements should be introduced. The long-term safety reviews of the Magnox power stations at Hinkley Point, Trawsfynydd and Hunterston are being carried out by their licensees at present and the results of the reviews will be examined by the NII. The conclusions will be published in due course.
The AGR power stations at Hinkley Point, Heysham and Hunterston are or modern design with advanced safety features and there is no immediate need to re-examine their standards.
§ Mr. Foulkesasked the Secretary of State for Energy how many of Britain's Magnox and advanced gas-cooled reactors have facilities for complete secondary containment.
§ Mr. GoodladBritain's Magnox reactors, which are gas-cooled, and advanced gas-cooled reactors have strong primary containments. Secondary means for containing coolant in the event of a leak have been judged unnecessary because the gas never becomes more than mildly radioactive.
§ Mr. Dobson asked the Secretary of State for Energy if he will place in the Library a copy of the safety assessment of a nuclear reactor of the type akin to that at Chernobyl.
§ Mr. GoodladI shall place in the Library of the House a copy of the Report "The Russian Graphite Moderated Channel Tube Reactor" NPC(R)1275 prepared in 1976 by the Nuclear Power Company Limited, predecessor of the present National Nuclear Corporation Limited.
§ Mr. Dobsonasked the Secretary of State for Energy how many people and how many children under five and under 18 years, respectively, live within five, 10, 25 and 50 miles, respectively, of power generating nuclear reactors.
§ Mr. GoodladI shall reply to the hon. Member with available information as soon as possible.