Nuclear experts have warned that two Scottish reactors should not be reopened due to cracks that could potentially force the evacuation of both Glasgow and Edinburgh. The warning comes after footage revealed nearly 400 cracks, each 2mm wide, at the Hunterston B plant in North Ayrshire.
Owners EDF Energy and the trade union GMB want the reactors back in service after they were closed in October 2018. However, independent consultant Dr Ian Fairlie and Dr David Toke of the University of Aberdeen have cautioned against this move, stating that although the probability of a meltdown is low, an incident could lead to large emissions of radioactive gases and contamination of central Scotland.
The reactor was shut down after experts found that hairline fractures were growing faster than expected, affecting about one in every ten bricks in the reactor core. The operational limit was 350 cracks, but an inspection found that allowance had been exceeded. EDF now plans to ask the regulator for permission to restart with a new limit of up to 700 cracks.
EDF Energy has released footage of the cracks as evidence of their efforts to fix the problem and hopes to prove the reactor is safe to the Office of Nuclear Regulation (ONR). Station director Colin Weir stated that nuclear safety is their overriding priority and that further inspections have been carried out.
Nuclear expert Professor Neil Hyatt from Sheffield University noted that the structural integrity of the graphite core has always been the ultimate limiting factor for the lifetime of these reactors, and there may come a point when they must come offline permanently.
