Some people believe nuclear power is a vital way to tackle climate change. The discovery and application of nuclear power is one of the most profound scientific accomplishments of the 20th century, beginning with tentative explorations of the structure of matter, expanding into a rapid succession of unexpected discoveries, and finally settling into a seamless transition from theoretical science to applied engineering. Bbc news business sellafield awaits nuclear powers. Sellafield stories is the largest oral history project conducted in the uk. Ireland, britain and the campaign to close sellafield. New bbc panorama documentary broadcasts nuclear plant safety failures allegations about the shocking state of safety at britains bestknown nuclear plant will be broadcast in a bbc tv. Land at sellafield has been submitted to the government as a potential site for a new nuclear power station. Concerns over hinkley point nuclear power station deal. Since its inception, the plant had been poorly run. We are responsible for the safe and secure operation and cleanup of the sellafield nuclear site. Bwp is jacob rexstraw, rebecca harris, and daniel gronner. Today, the sellafield site covers about 2 square miles.
Nuclear accident fears exposed by whistleblower in. Calder hall, located on the site, was the worlds first commercial nuclear power station. British nuclear fuels changed its name to sellafield in 1981. Control room at calder hall nuclear power plant the story of sellafield nuclear power station in pictures from the first brick in to the terrible leak in to the vast complex that stands today, here is the story of sellafield power plant computer education world. Calder hall the worlds first commercial nuclear power station. Serious safety concerns over uk nuclear plant at sellafield. Sellafield is home to 80% of the uks nuclear waste and some of the worlds most hazardous buildings. The station is a stop on the scenic cumbrian coast line, 11 1.
Six decades after britains worst nuclear accident, an oral history of sellafield reveals what it felt like to live near the plant. Sizewell a, with two magnox reactors, is now in the process of being decommissioned, while sizewell b has a single pressurised water reactor and is the uks newest nuclear power station. Uk government covered up nuclear reactor blaze which caused. Each chapter of the sites history delivered great benefit for the.
Life in britains first nuclear plant and over 8 million other books are available for amazon kindle. Defuelling of these reactors is expected to be completed in 2014 with the site entering a. Huge amounts of world energy have been produced from atoms ever since, but amid enormous controversy. Britains nuclear regulator confirmed the reprocessing plant operator will now be prosecuted over the health and. Sellafield stories is the largest oral history project conducted. Life in britains first nuclear plant as want to read. A tomic energy has had a mixed history in the halfcentury or so since the worlds first commercial nuclear power plant opened at calder hall now sellafield in cumbria, england in 1956. As of 2019update, activities at the site include nuclear fuel reprocessing, nuclear waste storage and nuclear decommissioning, and it is a former nuclear power generating site. Nuclear power this article is more than 11 years old. Nuclear reactors at the sellafield site previously produced plutonium for nuclear weapons or generated electricity. Sellafield itself is in northwest england, in a remote coastal location with the irish. Life in britains first nuclear plant by hunter davies. Part 3 nuclear proliferation part 4 the rise and fall of civil nuclear power part 5 ireland v. The sellafield complex, known as windscale until a publicrelations name change.
Chernobyl, harrisburg, sellafield its exactly in that order that these names are known globally, esp. Sellafield is a large multifunction nuclear site close to seascale on the coast of cumbria. It is further from ireland than the nearest nuclear power station wylfa in wales is about 110 km from the closest point in ireland. The government will be urged to support a new nuclear power station in the area and to explore the potential of reusing existing plutonium stocks. The station has a net electrical output of 1,190 megawatts, which is 2% of great britains peak electricity demand of 60 gw. Sellafield worker contaminated after health and safety. Although the funding for the local history project of which sellafield stories is.
Sellafield stories is the largest oral history project. It started generating electricity in 1956 and ceased in 2003. Inside sellafield, the uks most dangerous nuclear site. Work up to 2018 would include acquiring the site licence, the development consent order, and. The physicist discusses what he learned while behind the scenes of the sellafield nuclear power plant. On 23 june 2011 the government confirmed the suitability of the site, and hoped an electricity generating company would choose to build a power station near sellafield at moorside by 2025. The sizewell nuclear power stations are two nuclear power stations located near the small fishing village of sizewell in suffolk, england. Sep 04, 2016 new bbc panorama documentary broadcasts nuclear plant safety failures. Dec 15, 2018 with the recent collapse of plans to build a new nuclear power station in the field next door, sellafield is a vital source of decent, highpaying jobs for the area. Sellafield is a large multifunction nuclear site close to seascale on the coast of cumbria, england. The future of a nuclear fuel plant at sellafield in cumbria hangs in the balance after the japanese prime minister called for the closure of a nuclear power station near tokyo, which was to be the.
Bbc panorama documentary raises fears over uk sellafield. The nuclear decommissioning authority has lodged the nomination for a 250 hectare site just north of the existing sellafield plant. Sellafield academic dictionaries and encyclopedias. The windscale site was split into two parts in 1971, with the main complex renamed sellafield. Britains nuclear regulator confirmed the reprocessing plant. Britains chernobyl which was covered up for decades. The second deals with magnox fuel from britains early nuclear reactors, like the ones which were used at calder hall power station at sellafield which ceased generation in march 2003. Sellafield nuclear reprocessing facility visit cumbria. With the recent collapse of plans to build a new nuclear power station in the field next door, sellafield is a vital source of decent, highpaying jobs for the area.
He encounters some of the most dangerous substances on earth, reveals the nature of radiation and even. Sellafield spent fuel management magnox reprocessing. May 11, 2018 a nuclear power plant worker was contaminated during an incident at sellafield. Sellafield is an offshoot from the original nuclear reactor site at windscale which is currently undergoing decommissioning and dismantling. The station is owned by network rail and managed by northern which provide all passenger services. Sellafield ltd works with the nuclear decommissioning authority. Sellafield power station worker contaminated inside facility for handling nuclear chemicals britains nuclear regulator says it will prosecute sellafield ltd over the incident in february for. Here was the site of the worlds first commercial nuclear power station, calder hall, operating from the early 1950s until 2004, and the windscale nuclear reactor piles britains first attempt at a nuclear reactor to produce plutonium for the war effort, which suffered a major incident in 1957. But, thanks to sellafield stories, a book of interviews with nearly 100 people who worked there, lived. Going nuclear coincides with the 50th anniversary of the windscale fire of october 1957, the worst major nuclear accident known to the world before chernobyl. The mother can use a knife in the kitchen to chop vegetables and make a healthy meal, but if you give a knife to a child and the child accidentally injures himself, is it the fault of the knife. Sellafield power station worker contaminated inside facility. Mar 19, 2011 in 1956 calder hall nuclear power station was opened alongside it to produce lowcost electricity for millions of homes. Sellafield nuclear build bid the journal newcastle.
May 11, 2018 sellafield power station worker contaminated inside facility for handling nuclear chemicals britains nuclear regulator says it will prosecute sellafield ltd over the incident in february for. Workers at the nuclear site in sellafield are launching a campaign aimed at attracting fresh investment to help guarantee its future. Without sellafield, cumbria would become an economic wilderness while britain would struggle to meet its lowcarbon energy needs. As of 2019, activities at the site include nuclear fuel reprocessing, nuclear waste storage and nuclear decommissioning, and it is a former nuclear power generating site. Life in britains first nuclear plant on your kindle in. The windscale site was split into two parts in 1971, with the main complex renamed sellafield, and the original weapons, power station and. On 18 october 2010, the uk government announced that sellafield was one of the eight possible sites it considered suitable for future nuclear power stations. See more ideas about nuclear power, chernobyl and chernobyl 1986. Inside sellafield jim alkhalili uncovers the story of sellafield.
Bbc cumbria sellafield visitors centre the exhibition was updated by the science museum in 2003 so what is the new centre offering for visitors. The story of sellafield nuclear power station in pictures. Since then no nuclear electricity has been generated on the site. Sellafield, former star of the nuclear age, scrubs up for. The 60year old tapered chimney stack undergoing demolition is located on top of the sites first generation reprocessing plant, and was used to provide ventilation during reprocessing of used nuclear fuel. Shocking state of worlds riskiest nuclear waste site. Sellafield is one of the most recognized names in popular consciousness of any in the nuclear sphere. Sep 17, 2016 sellafield is home to 80% of the uks nuclear waste and some of the worlds most hazardous buildings. Serious safety concerns over uk nuclear plant at sellafield panorama has revealed safety concerns at sellafield, a nuclear fuel reprocessing and nuclear decommissioning site in north england.
For more information please see the thorp section of the sellafield plan. Fellside power station is a 168mwe chp gasfired power station near the sellafield site, which it supplies with steam and heat. New bbc panorama documentary broadcasts nuclear plant. As walter patterson set out the history of the british nuclear industry in his book. Indeed, for many irish nationalists, the identification of nuclear power as a britishled endeavor made it inherently suspect. Moorside nuclear power station was proposed for a site near sellafield, in cumbria, united kingdom.
Here is the worlds first commercial nuclear power station, calder hall, operating since the early 1950. The nuclear facilities on the sellafield site include. First, reprocessing is the name given to the physicochemical treatment of spent nuclear fuel as carried on at sellafield in cumbria since the 1950s. As of 2019 update, activities at the site include nuclear fuel reprocessing, nuclear waste storage and nuclear decommissioning, and it is a former nuclear power generating site. Sellafield power station worker contaminated inside. Huge pools of mystery sludge, leaking silos and risk of explosions. Electricity generation started in 1956 and ceased in 2003. Sellafield served several purposes since work began there in the 1940s.
A nuclear power plant worker was contaminated during an incident at sellafield. From the first brick in 1950, to the terrible leak in 1957, to the vast complex that stands today, here is the story of sellafield power plant. And the windscale plant an earlier name for a subcomplex at the site was the first to have. The worlds first commercialsized nuclear power station, calder hall, was. Sellafield is a nuclear reprocessing site, close to the village of seascale on the coast of the irish sea in cumbria, england. The government will decide on which sites in the uk are appropriate for possible nuclear development. Feb 21, 2008 the first production of banned wagon productions bwp. Not only did the worlds first commercial nuclear power plant, calder hall, start supplying electricity to the population from here, it was also the centre for weapons grade plutonium production for britains first atomic bomb and subsequently its cold war nuclear arms arsenal.
Sellafield railway station serves the nuclear facility of sellafield in cumbria, england. Sellafield is the largest industrial site in the uk. The first production of banned wagon productions bwp. In 1956 calder hall nuclear power station was opened alongside it to produce lowcost electricity for millions of homes. I ts a warm august afternoon and im standing on a grassy scrap. Veronica mcdermott has worked as a journalist, political advisor, public relations and public affairs consultant, including ten years as public affairs consultant to the british nuclear. The full story would require several books, and provide exceedingly painful reading. Although nuclear power advocates would rather not discuss the fact. The building of the nuclear plant was a huge construction project, requiring a peak effort of 5,000 workers. That means taking the fuel that has been used inside a nuclear power station and. The site covers an area of two square miles and comprises more than 200 nuclear facilities and more than 1,000 buildings. Windscale was historically a separate licensed site located on the sellafield site.
Consider these important aspects of website design. About a mile north of seascale is bnfls sellafield nuclear site. About us we are responsible for the safe and secure operation and cleanup of the sellafield nuclear site. Sellafield nuclear workers call for new plant the journal. Sellafield worker contaminated after health and safety breach. Aug 30, 20 without sellafield, cumbria would become an economic wilderness while britain would struggle to meet its lowcarbon energy needs. Uk government covered up nuclear reactor blaze which. The uks main low level waste repository is 6 kilometres 3. Calder hall, another neighbour of windscale is also undergoing decommissioning.
The vast majority of britains nuclear waste is processed at sellafield. Placed under the newlyformed united kingdom atomic energy authority ukaea in 1954. Sellafield, former star of the nuclear age, scrubs up for a. Mar 12, 2012 today, the sellafield site covers about 2 square miles. A small group of film students, studying at staffordshire university. The sellafield plant plant was the first nuclear site in britain, dating back to the 1940s and 50s getty getty. Some interesting stories from the sellafield oral history project giving some insight into the people who worked at and lived around. Bbc cumbria enjoy cumbria sellafield visitors centre. Closure of japanese plant casts doubt on viability of. Thats why the sellafield workers campaign is calling for a threepoint plan for a sustained and coordinated investment strategy, including a commitment to a new nuclear power station at the site.
1664 774 314 155 123 1331 378 345 1419 1645 1294 376 202 519 18 401 919 1017 1100 152 878 735 1672 1278 409 884 1135 64 1491 32 403 353 1221 530 263 1491