Labour’s decision to keep the cracked Torness nuclear reactor going is ‘an experiment and hoping nothing will go wrong’

By Professor John Robertson OBA

Many thanks again to Alan Gordon for alerting me to this.

In December 2021, spreading cracks were found in the aging nuclear power station at Torness in East Lothian and its operator EDF decided to shut it down two years early, in 2028.

Then in December 2024, the new Labour government’s energy minister, Ed Miliband, in pursuit of their carbon reduction strategy decided it should stay open.

Why is this a concern?

In 2023, prior to the above decision, Dr Ian Fairlie, an independent consultant on radioactivity in the environment, gave evidence in a briefing for MPs regarding the Energy Bill passing through Parliament.

In a presentation largely concerned with the risk of nuclear accidents, he said

The risk of possible terrorist attacks at 15 UK nuclear reactors and >20 nuclear reactors in nearby countries, and because of the increasing age of nuclear reactors, there is a need for greater preparedness to deal with nuclear accidents and incidents.

In the event of a nuclear accident or incident, the three main responses are shelter, evacuation, and iodine prophylaxis. This evidence deals with the latter.

The prior ingestion of stable iodine is an effective means of protecting the thyroid gland from thyroid cancer and other thyroid effects, especially among children. It is necessary to consume stable iodine immediately after a nuclear incident: the best way to provide this is the advance distribution of stable iodine prior to any accident or incident.

In the UK, the Government has refrained from pre-distributing stable iodine tablets to the public. The decision not to pre-distribute KI may have been influenced by considerations other than public safety. Information on the locations of KI supplies, KI stocks held, and arrangements for their distribution in the event of a nuclear incident or accident is generally unavailable.

However, Fairlie also noted:

[M]ost (14 out of 15) of the UK’s nuclear reactors are very old and are approaching or past their original planned lifetimes. Old age is one of the two most hazardous times for nuclear reactors: the other is when reactors are first started up. Several reports have drawn attention to cracking and graphite corrosion at UK AGR reactors. The old age of these reactors has resulted in increased numbers of stoppages for maintenance and deratings of reactor power outputs.

By continuing to operate AGR reactors beyond their designed lifespans, it is considered that we are going through an experiment and, in effect, hoping nothing will go wrong.

and in a footnote offers more detail:

In more detail, graphite bricks in the core of AGRs are gradually being eroded and lost. This is important as graphite is the moderator in AGRs and moderator loss crucially affects the reactivity of the reactor core. The ONR regulates the state of graphite bricks and does not allow reactors to lose more than a set percentage of their weight before they are classed as having reached the end of their lives. Graphite cracking also has to be taken into account by the regulator when setting a weight loss limit. However EDF can apply to the regulator to increase the weight loss limit in order to extend the life of the power plant. It is not reassuring that the Office of Nuclear Regulation raises the limit it sets for weight loss in the graphite blocks when asked to do so by EDF with little apparent scrutiny of the matter. For some official concerns here, see paragraphs 2 and 41 in http://www.hse.gov.uk/foi/releases/ar6106.pdf and paragraphs 4, 5 and 8 in http://www.hse.gov.uk/foi/releases/ar16405.pdf

Given the importance of the precautionary principle and the enormous risks posed, it does not seem an over-reaction to suggest that the Labour Government’s decision, simply to meet carbon reduction targets, is deeply flawed.

Source: https://committees.parliament.uk/writtenevidence/67831/html/

18 thoughts on “Labour’s decision to keep the cracked Torness nuclear reactor going is ‘an experiment and hoping nothing will go wrong’”

  4. Torness , like the endemic threat from the nuclear arsenal on the Clyde , is far , far away from Westminster – so , why should the Government worry ?

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  7. ” Given the importance of the precautionary principle and the enormous risks posed, it does not seem an over-reaction to suggest that the Labour Government’s decision, simply to meet carbon reduction targets, is deeply flawed ” – I’d dispute the ‘ meet carbon reduction targets ‘ premise when so many many wind generators were being switched off in Scotland, and still are in the dead of winter when demand is maxxed out and yet more coming on line monthly…

    This is a political decision Douglas Alexander can sign up to as it gives him brownie points for keeping HMG’s nuclear ambitions alive, as would he be, very far away from if it it all went pear shaped.

    It has damned all to do with ‘ to meet carbon reduction targets ‘ else the Chinese (the acknowledged experts in nuclear) wouldn’t have gone gung-ho on solar and wind at such extraordinary pace – For every Greggs sausage roll the State of a Secretary for Scotland or canape Douglas has consumed, a new energy source is already on-line and doing something useful in China, unlike Douglas and Ian’s methane….

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  8. We just watched a short film yesterday about England’s ‘Windscale’ in Cumbria, when there was a huge leak in the late 1950’s. Quite a few films on youTube about that, ‘Britain’s Chernobyl’. Of course it would never have been situated in the south of England. Horrific and still a massive liability re safety.

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  9. Now being reported today.

    “Plans to abolish non-dom status will be amended to allow a more generous phase out of tax benefits, Chancellor Rachel Reeves has announced“

    It is now becoming far easier to list the Labour manifesto pledges that were promised by Labour in their 2024 General election campaign that have actually sort of survived, as opposed to those that have now either been so obviously broken, amended in some way or just completely reversed by Labour.

    Reeves told an event hosted by the Wall Street Journal: “We have been listening to the concerns that have been raised by the non-dom community.”

    At last someone is being listened to by Labour, the fact that it is millionaires and billionaires and not the poor, the pensioners or WASPI women is , for Labour, neither here nor there , or so it seems.

    Non-dom status enables people who live in the UK to avoid paying UK tax on money made abroad because their permanent home for tax purposes is outside the country.

    Meanwhile woe betide anyone on benefits as Labour are going to make changes to ‘Get Britain working’ and so get people off benefits.

    Forget Trump as all of the real bad behaviour and bad political decisions are happening here in the UK with Labour as the new UK government and they intend to Make Britain Great Again , though from when that actually was, is still , as a reality, most unclear, as I am stumped to recall that time.

    Liz S

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  10. The information regarding the aging nuclear reactors was interesting and needs to be linked to the clusters of cancer surrounding Hunterston . The number of adults and children who are treated locally or at the Beatson is increasing. The studies locally have not been considered as significant. However, if more research was undertaken across all age groups the findings might reveal double trouble with the releases from Sellafield and Hunterston and the Submarine bases.

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  17. Labour party.

    Reported today that Rachel Reeves says “Britain needs a dose of Trump positivity”.

    She’s the one who’s been pumping out the negativity as has Keir Starmer since Labour came to power in July 2024.

    Telling the public to be prepared for “a long and difficult path”, “difficult choices ahead”, “tough times ahead” and to “accept hard times or risk ruin”.

    Also to use Trump as an example in what is positivity is her diving down to the depths of desperation to try and fend off a rising Reform UK party and so she is trying to convince Reform UK party supporters that Labour also wants to Make America Great Again but only with the “positivity” of Donald Trump as President.

    Labour choosing to ignore bad Trump and pretend he that he is actually good for America and also they hope for Labour’s UK too, the same Labour party , who as the UK government , just cannot seem to achieve growth for their UK while they are still supporting Brexit.

    Labour needs a trade deal with America so principles and standards are not required where Trump is concerned.

    However the media here in Scotland will apply what is known as ‘Labour speak’ and just pretend that they can see the logic in Reeves saying this, and also that they as a media in Scotland can recognise the potential future benefits to be had for their UK, if that is Labour keep cosying up to and also complimenting Trump and his massive ego.

    The rest of us, and also those intelligent and non Trump supporting Americans, will just state WTF.

    Liz S

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