Safety flaw casts fresh doubt on Hinkley reactor

EDF may have to cut output or walk away, The Times, Robin Pagnamenta, A nuclear power station being built in France using the same design earmarked for Hinkley Point in Somerset may have to restrict its output or could be abandoned because of the costs of correcting safety flaws, experts have warned.

France’s nuclear safety regulator, the ASN, is testing the strength of steel used in the reactor pressure vessel at the plant in Flamanville in Normandy.

Last year, it warned of “very serious anomalies”, including weak spots in the steel component which houses the reactor. An investigation is under way and a decision is expected next year.

The same design has been…(subscribers only) http://www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/business/hinkley-style-reactor-has-serious-safety-flaw-wg50jzxhd