Country United Kingdom Status Proposed Reactor type AP1000 PWR Construction cost 10 billion GBP | Location Sellafield, Cumbria Operator(s) Engie Reactor supplier Westinghouse Owner NuGeneration | |
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Moorside Nuclear Power Station is a proposal to build three AP1000 nuclear reactors on a site near Sellafield, in Cumbria, United Kingdom. The plan by NuGeneration, which is the British subsidiary of Toshiba-owned Westinghouse Electric Company, has the station coming online from 2024 with 3.4GW of new nuclear capacity. Work up to 2018 would include acquiring the site licence, the development consent order, and other required permits and permissions to start work. Site preparation would take two years, up to 2020.
Contents
HistoryEdit
In 2014, the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority agreed commercial terms with developer NuGen to extend a land option agreement to build three reactors at Moorside. Later that year, HM Treasury agreed to provide financial security to investors in the project.
In July 2015, NuGen purchased the land near Sellafield needed for the Moorside, approximately 200 hectares, for an undisclosed sum.
In October 2016, National Grid announced proposals for consultation for a £2.8 billion project to connect the new plant to the national electricity grid. The proposal involves putting power-lines underground and under Morecambe Bay to reduce the impact on the Lake District National Park.
AP1000 reactor designEdit
The AP1000 is a nuclear power plant designed and sold by Westinghouse. The plant is a pressurised water reactor (PWR) with improved use of passive nuclear safety. The design has fewer valves and pumps than previous PWRs and allows cooling without intervention for up to 72 hours, relying mostly on natural processes such as water flowing downhill and heat rising. This novel design has raised a number of concerns but the design has been approved for use in both the United States and China.
In December 2011, the Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR) and Environment Agency (EA) had issued interim design acceptance for the AP1000 reactor design. These indicated that there were 51 outstanding issues and the ONR and EA were satisfied with the plans to resolve these issues. The issues include "Justification of novel form of structure for the steel/concrete composite walls and floors known as CA modules"
In 2015 Westinghouse resumed ONR Generic Design Assessment for Moorside, which was initially planned to finish in March 2017. However as of November 2016 the ONR noted there was a "very large amount of assessment to complete with issues still emerging". Slippage of the completion date is likely.
OppositionEdit
The proposal to build the station is opposed by Radiation Free Lakeland, a group of local activists.
A report commissioned by Radiation Free Lakeland is critical of the AP1000 reactor design and has been written by the Edinburgh Energy and Environment Consultancy. The report says that "The AP1000 reactor design is not fit for purpose and so should be refused a Design Acceptance Confirmation (DAC) and Statement of Design Acceptability (SDA)″.
ConsultationEdit
Stage 1 consultation took place between May and July 2015 and a report was published on 23 November 2015. Stage 2 consultation will take place between May and July 2016.