Chinese reactor plan fuels British security fears

A lesson learned from the otherwise successful UK gas-cooled reactor programmes was that excessive diversity of design prevents economies of scale during construction and is inefficient during the plant’s working life. A Chinese reactor at Bradwell would be the fourth different new power reactor design in England. Commercial and security issues may be soluble at nominal cost. But can the UK muster sufficient indigenous expertise to master the details of the technology and design of so many types in order to become an expert customer and subsequently operate the reactors safely and economically for their expected life? Read more