§ Mr. DobsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Energy, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Cardiff, West (Mr. Morgan), of 18 February,Official Report, column 29, what consideration has been given to the experience of the loss of coolant at the power station at Mihama, Japan on the design and cost of the Sizewell B power station.
§ Mr. WakehamThe incident referred to, a rupture of a steam generator tube, resulted in a release of radioactivity which was extremely small and constituted no danger to the population or the environment. In preparing the safety case and cost estimates for Sizewell B, the CEGB took full account of the possibility of such an incident occurring. Indeed, this was one of the incidents which was specifically addressed at the Sizewell B public inquiry, and it is also addressed in all of the station's safety reports. The design of the reactor and its protective systems are such as to make the possibility of a significant release of radioactivity from incidents involving a loss of reactor coolant extremely remote. Nevertheless, I understand that Nuclear Electric plc maintains a watching brief on overseas incidents so that it can review their safety procedures in the light of any lessons which might be learnt.