Britain’s first new nuclear power station in more than 20 years will contain the industry’s most cutting-edge technology.
Hinkley Point C on the Somerset coast will feature two European pressurised reactors (EPRs) designed to be safer, more reliable and more fuel efficient than anything that has gone before.
The EPR has been developed by the French companies EDF and Areva. A variant of the pressurised water reactor, it will work in the same fundamental way as previous generations of the device: nuclear fission triggers a chain reaction, producing energy. Water is then heated, producing steam that turns turbines and generates electricity.
The technology behind the reactors is meant to be safer than any previous design. Taking lessons from the past – such as 9/11 or the nuclear disaster at Fukushima – EDF claims the EPR is highly resistant to external hazards, with a reinforced core designed to withstand plane crashes, earthquakes and extreme flooding.
They will be the most powerful reactors in the world but use less fuel – and produce about a third less waste – than older reactors. They can operate for longer, with less downtime for maintenance. The reactors will be available for more than 90% of their 60-year life, according to EDF.
In December 2012, after an extensive review, EPRs were approved for use in the UK by the Office for Nuclear Regulation and the Environment Agency, which confirmed that the reactor met strict safety requirements.
But the scale of the reactors and their additional safety features make EPRs highly complex.
Today, not a single EPR reactor operates anywhere in the world. Costs have overrun at the Flamanville nuclear plant in France, which is six years behind schedule. In Finland, where another EPR is planned, the picture is even worse: the Olkiluoto reactor is nearly a decade behind and three times over budget.
