Potential locations for new UK nuclear power stations

[Enviro-mental]

With the energy efficiency and pollution increasingly high on the political agenda, the government has recently identified 10 suitable sites for future nuclear power plants as part of a plan to revamp the nuclear-power UK’s ageing energy infrastructure. What are your thoughts on how this will affect us?

Interactive: Potential locations for new UK nuclear power stations | Environment | guardian.co.uk

[Jim Ford]

Not bothered, as long as they put them all North of Luton!
;^)

Jim

[tom00_uk]

they are all still very close to the sea and sea level, with it rising and stronger storms would it not make a little bit more sense for the sites that have not had power plants in the past to have been picked a bit further in land?

[Jim Ford]

Originally Posted by tom00_uk

would it not make a little bit more sense for the sites that have not had power plants in the past to have been picked a bit further in land?

They need lots of cooling water.

Jim

[Boddie]

Put them in Scotland. Right up North

[Ted Pearson]

Some underground facility fed with piped in water and thick overhead rock.

[Rich_]

Originally Posted by Jim Ford

Not bothered, as long as they put them all North of Luton!
;^)

Jim

Why?

[Boddie]

Put them in France

[richnfamous]

[warning:contains some black humour!]

I live about 15 miles ESE of Hinkley Point and they're talking about steamrollering a new plant through despite any local objections. Being no fan of nuclear power, I don't like the idea. I was in mid-Norway when Chernobyl went up and the area I was in received some fallout just after I left.

The only positive thing about Hinkley Point is this: if you walk towards Glastonbury Tor there'sa bench you can sit on, and from here you can see the power station framed perfectly by the top of the church tower. If it turns into a fireball, from there it'll look just like that 'Eye of Sauron' in the Lord of the Rings film

[Jim Ford]

Originally Posted by Rich_

Why?

Because I'm South of Luton!
;^)

Jim

[Rich_]

Someone else much farther North than you has suggested they should all be in Scotland. Are you opposed to nuclear power, totally or to installations near to you?
(Not setting you up there, Jim, don't take that question the wrong way)

I live within sight of windscale, and it looks like other areas close by will be sights for potential new plant too. There are a lot of social, as well as environmental issues involved on the subject of nuclear power.

[Rich_]

Originally Posted by Boddie

Put them in France

Ironically, the contracts for these new plants in the Uk could be given to foreigners, and the french could be well in with a chance.
Do you really want to be buying your electric from the French?

[Doggle Avaddit]

Originally Posted by Rich_

Ironically, the contracts for these new plants in the Uk could be given to foreigners, and the french could be well in with a chance.
Do you really want to be buying your electric from the French?

Exactly, you may one day find a whole bunch of French Farmers blockading the passage of electrons across the channel.

[Meta menardi]

One near Chequers and one near Balmoral would be re-assuring...

[ChrisR]

I think the saddest part of the whole thing is that the British have been so scared of nuclear power over the years that now other countries have become leaders in reactor design (such as the French) and undoubtedly it will be French companies who build these reactors and profit from them

[david156]

I haven't got a problem with nuclear power. Just look at some of the sites where they are. Bradwell in essex, (I know its now closed), sizewell in suffolk, Dungeness in Kent and so on.... All good birdwatching sites there or nearby. Build some more. People don't want to live close to them so we could turn the areas nearby into more nature reseves.

[Ted Pearson]

Originally Posted by Rich_

Ironically, the contracts for these new plants in the Uk could be given to foreigners, and the french could be well in with a chance.
Do you really want to be buying your electric from the French?

I hope a bid from the Americas would be acceptable. We could use the work and Obama ‘The great pretender’ is not helping us out in the least.

[tom00_uk]

Originally Posted by Rich_

Ironically, the contracts for these new plants in the Uk could be given to foreigners, and the French could be well in with a chance.
Do you really want to be buying your electric from the French?

French companies all ready own a lot of the UK power providers, they also supply a lot of power via under sea cables from France to assist the UK with peak demand, most of Frances power comes from nuke plants so i would be more than happy for them to provide more of a service they all ready are doing so well. the British record for its own power plants are not so rosey and there have been a number of "accidents"

[Rich_]

Originally Posted by Ted Pearson

I hope a bid from the Americas would be acceptable. We could use the work and Obama ‘The great pretender’ is not helping us out in the least.

Ted.
A USA/French concern has already taken over the nuclear facility down the road from me recently, to carry out decommissioning work. It was previously British Nuclear Fuels,

Originally Posted by tom00_uk

French companies all ready own a lot of the UK power providers, they also supply a lot of power via under sea cables from France to assist the UK with peak demand, most of Frances power comes from nuke plants so i would be more than happy for them to provide more of a service they all ready are doing so well.

That's true, what a pity we have fallen so far behind that we can't even supply our own energy needs adequately, and to think we were once among the world leaders in the nuclear industry.

[Jim Ford]

Originally Posted by Rich_

we were once

The above phase sums up this country perfectly!

Jim

[Ted Pearson]

Originally Posted by Jim Ford

The above phase sums up this country perfectly!

Jim

That is the same path the liberals are leading us down here in the US.

[Rich_]

Originally Posted by Jim Ford

The above phase sums up this country perfectly!

Jim

Well quoted , You're dead right.

[Jim Ford]

I tell a Greek friend that Britain has been going downhill for 50 years, but Greece has had a 1,950 year head-start on us!

Jim

[numeniusaqua]

Surely, it makes sense to put the plants nearest where the most demand is? After all, if they are so safe, then it makes sense to put them in the South East where demand is greatest. That way there is minimised transmission loss which makes perfect sense. Or could it be that the powers that be are not really so sure that they won't cut corners in the future (as they've been caught doing time and time again) with safety and would have the embarrassment of explaining on thier own doorstep in the S.E how the local beach etc is irradiated? Whereas no one in power seems to care if it's just a few more Northernerners, Scots or Cumbrians or irradiated fish and birds do they? (anyone else remember that programme where they sent the seagulls from around Sellafield (aka Windscale) off for testing , and it turned out the area around is so irradiated & the levels in the birds so high that they were classed as nuclear waste by the laboratory? - the cleanup required following the exposure by the programme is said to have cost £1million http://www.markthomasinfo.com/section_info/) But most scary is that it only came to light purely because of that programme - theres not a programme being made there right now or at any of the other stations, nor do ordinary local people have the resources to monitor - so how much more goes on is anyone's guess)

I think that a sensible policy is a mix of wind/wave and nukes, and I'd be all for it if I believed for one second that maximising shareholders profits and insufficient independent oversight and sanctions would not result in future leaks. If we made it so that the company directors definitely would do time in prison if there were leaks then you can be sure there'd be not be so much as one hundredth of a becquerel leak! Not a thing! Until then, let the fat cats and politicians prove it is safe by building it where they live! - There is plenty sea water for cooling anywhere on the British coast, so no reason at all not to do that. But they won't do that, and considering that makes no sense transmission-wise, that really does tell you everything you need to know!

[Doggle Avaddit]

Originally Posted by numeniusaqua

Surely, it makes sense to put the plants nearest where the most demand is? After all, if they are so safe, then it makes sense to put them in the South East where demand is greatest. That way there is minimised transmission loss which makes perfect sense. Or could it be that the powers that be are not really so sure that they won't cut corners in the future (as they've been caught doing time and time again) with safety and would have the embarrassment of explaining on thier own doorstep in the S.E how the local beach etc is irradiated? Whereas no one in power seems to care if it's just a few more Northernerners, Scots or Cumbrians or irradiated fish and birds do they? (anyone else remember that programme where they sent the seagulls from around Sellafield (aka Windscale) off for testing , and it turned out the area around is so irradiated & the levels in the birds so high that they were classed as nuclear waste by the laboratory? - the cleanup required following the exposure by the programme is said to have cost £1million Mark Thomas Info - Information) But most scary is that it only came to light purely because of that programme - theres not a programme being made there right now or at any of the other stations, nor do ordinary local people have the resources to monitor - so how much more goes on is anyone's guess)

I think that a sensible policy is a mix of wind/wave and nukes, and I'd be all for it if I believed for one second that maximising shareholders profits and insufficient independent oversight and sanctions would not result in future leaks. If we made it so that the company directors definitely would do time in prison if there were leaks then you can be sure there'd be not be so much as one hundredth of a becquerel leak! Not a thing! Until then, let the fat cats and politicians prove it is safe by building it where they live! - There is plenty sea water for cooling anywhere on the British coast, so no reason at all not to do that. But they won't do that, and considering that makes no sense transmission-wise, that really does tell you everything you need to know!

I think Nuclear Reactor design and operation has come a long way from how it was in the 70's and 80's. I don't think it would be possible to have "leaks" the way you are describing from a New Build reactor. Even if a passenger jet was crashed directly on it.

Current designs are very safe indeed.

Thousands of coal miners die every year producing coal for power stations, by the way.