§ Mr. Malcolm BruceTo ask the Secretary of State for Energy (1) for how long both reactors at Hinkley B were without any means of cooling on Sunday 11 February;
(2) for how many minutes the nuclear reactor at Hinkley B was operating at full load on Sunday 11 February in the absence of any means of cooling;
(3) if he will instigate a full public inquiry into the incident at Hinkley B power station on 11 February;
(4) if he will make a statement on the incident which took place at Hinkley B on Sunday 11 February;
(5) what is the maximum estimated time an advanced gas-cooled nuclear reactor on full load can function without going into melt down in the absence of any means of cooling;
(6) when he commissioned a report from the nuclear installations inspectorate into the incident at Hinkley B power station on 11 February; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. BaldryThe matter in question concerned a loss of grid supplies at Hinkley Point B as a result of storms that night. The reactors, however, had already been shut down and were in a totally safe state when disconnection from the grid system occurred. The possibility of such loss of grid supplies was anticipated during the design of the station, which has more than adequate safety systems and back up generation facilities to ensure its safe operation. All station safety equipment functioned correctly. Station staff are trained to deal with this type of eventuality and did so successfully. The Health and Safety Executive's nuclear installations inspectorate will follow up the matter as part of its normal inspection duties in order to confirm details.
§ Mr. Malcolm BruceTo ask the Secretary of State for Energy how many people live within(a) 3 miles and (b) 15 miles of Hinkley B power station.
§ Mr. BaldryThere are 1,700 people living within 5 km (3. miles) and 286,000 living within 25 km (15.5 miles) of Hinkley B power station.
§ Mr. Malcolm BruceTo ask the Secretary of State for Energy if he will detail the emergency procedures which exist in the event of a serious incident at Hinkley B power station.
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§ Mr. BaldryOperators of nuclear installations in the United Kingdom are required by Her Majesty's nuclear installations inspectorate (NII) of the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), as a condition of their licences, to prepare emergency plans which are also subject to approval by the inspectorate. These plans, on which local authorities, police and other bodies must be consulted, are kept under continuous review and are tested regularly in exercises monitored by the NII. They cover both emergency procedures at the site and off-site arrangements to protect the public.
Detailed emergency plans cover an area determined by the reference accident—that is, the accident which, although very unlikely, has the greatest off-site consequences that can reasonably be predicted, given the design of the plant, its protective systems and its operating limits. The emergency plans can be extended to deal with more serious and therefore, more improbable accidents. In such cases the police, emergency services and local authorities would make use of their general emergency planning arrangments for other accidents. This approach was endorsed by the Layfield report on the Sizewell inquiry.
In a statement on 12 December 1988, the Prime Minister said that extensive consultations with the emergency services and local authorities have
confirmed the availability of contingency plans which would permit an effective response to be made to any nuclear accident, including those with more widespread effects than the specific site and off-site plans are designed to cater for".—[Official Report, 12 December 1988; Vol. 143. c. 391.]
§ Mr. Malcolm BruceTo ask the Secretary of State for Energy if he will make a statement on the effect of sea spray on the insulators in the Hinkley B substation close to the shore.
§ Mr. BaldryExcessive salt deposition in the 400 KW substation, at Hinkley Point B, can occasionally cause separation from the grid, but in such instances reactors are automatically shut down.
§ Mr. Malcolm BruceTo ask the Secretary of State for Energy if he will make a statement on the safety procedures at Hinkley B power station.
§ Mr. BaldryThe Health and Safety Executive's nuclear installations inspectorate advises me that it is fully satisfied with the safety procedures at Hinkley Point B.