By Professor John Robertson
Many thanks to Dottie for alerting me to this.
From the Ferret today:
The number of cracks in the core of an ageing nuclear reactor at Torness in East Lothian has risen to 46, prompting warnings that prolonging its operation would be “gambling with public safety”. The UK Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR) told The Ferret that the cracks were detected in April 2024 and were “at the upper end of expectations”. The first three cracks were discovered at Torness in February 2022. EDF, however, insisted that the cracks did not affect normal operations or the ability to shut down Torness in an emergency. The plant’s life would be reviewed “by the end of 2024” with the “ambition” of generating electricity after 2028.
Yet, only last year from AA.com:
France’s state-controlled utility and nuclear power operator EDF has discovered a stress corrosion crack at its Penly 1 nuclear reactor.
After the discovery of the crack, which is 155 millimeters long and 23 millimeters deep, France’s Nuclear Safety Authority (ASN) on March 7 asked the company to “review its strategy” for repairing its power plants.
The crack shows that the pipes are no longer resistant, ASN said in a statement, adding the incident had no consequences on the staff or the environment.
“However, it affects the safety regarding the cooling of the reactor,” the statement said.
EDF had already reported cracks at the Civaux nuclear power station in western France in October 2021.
France struggled late last year while maintaining its power plants and risked power shortages during the winter.
A report by French electricity network RTE in February showed that the country’s electricity generation has been at its lowest in 30 years due to low nuclear power production.
Nuclear sources constituted 62.7% of France’s electricity generation in 2022, according to the report, compared with 69% in 2021.
As a result, nuclear production was at its lowest since 1988. It dropped 30% in 2022 compared to the average level of the last two decades, said RTE.
Sources:
Talking-up Scotland 'Albatraz' 
Labour appear to be influenced by the views of nasty former Energy Minister, Brian Wilson.
There is a piece in Open Democracy which reprises Paul Foot’s investigation of the private health care industry during the early 1990s influencing Labour when it became likely that Blair would win. Huge numbers of Labour MPs were ‘given assistance’ by health care businesses and, this resulted in things like PFI and greater deployment of private providers within the NHS. Several Labour figures made fortunes by becoming employed by such companies.
I do not think it is unlikely that energy companies are not offering similar inducements to current Labour MPs and policy advisers.
Alasdair Macdonald
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Absolutely Alasdair. I was thinking about that with regard to the ‘protesters’ locked up for many years, absolutely draconian treatment in a so called democracy. I noticed Starmer ex human rights lawyer didn’t bother to step in or ask questions about the sentences handed out to those people, in the main peacfeul protesters. A couple of whom are so young. 😦
The whole court case and terrible long sentences handed out, is seriously sinister is it designed to put people off ever questioning and protesting big oil etc, and who would have potentially influenced such draconian sentences, we will never know, but it seems a very loud message to anyone in the so called ‘UK’, to never protest massive polluters again.
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This is interesting.
https://www.socialeurope.eu/how-big-oil-gaslights-europe-on-climate-policy
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Labour’s Pat Mcfadden will be wheeled in to paper over the ( nuclear ) cracks , just as he did with the Two-Child Welfare Cap , by suggesting that this dangerous development at Torness ”is open to debate !”
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Scotland is in surplus in fuel and energy. The best place in the world for renewables. Scotland does not need nuclear.
Westminster is spending £13Billion a year decommissioning nuclear, over ten years. £130Billion. Increasing all the time.
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There is an important distinction to be made regarding the cracks. Torness is an Advanced Gas Reactor (AGR) and the French reactor is a Pressurised Water Reactor (PWR). The cracks at Torness are in the graphite core. The crack at the French reactor is situated near a weld on a line of pipework. Whilst cracks in the graphite core are not great, they do not necessarily represent an immediate safety issue. Cracks in integral pipework do represent a safety issue. If there were cracks in integral pipework at Torness or any other nuclear reactor then they would be treated the same as the French reactor.
The Long story short is a comparison between the two situations is like comparing apples with oranges – i.e. they are very different.
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England not listening to Scots
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You should also have a look at the AGR refuelling, 3 offline now to change some fuel.
This is turning into a monthly!!!! operation for Torness and Haysham.
Reports of faulty fuel elements not in the media.
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