Nuclear Energy in Britain [antikvár]

IntroductionNuclear energy is providing a significant proportion of Britain's1 energy supplies; in 1979 it accounted for 3-9 per cent of primáry energy consumption. It provides about 12 per cent of electricity generated by the public supply system in Britain and, when the three nuclear stations nearing completion are in full opération, this is expected to increase to nearly 20 per cent (representing about 6 per cent of the nation's energy requirements). The Government sees a vital and increasing role for nuclear energy in Britain in the years ahead. Accordingly, it is supporting the electricity supply indus-try's plans to order at least one new nuclear power station a year in the ten years from 1982.Nuclear power is making a major contribution to world energy supplies, and this is likely to increase substantially as reserves of oil and natural gas run out. Twenty-three countries including Britain already have nuclear generating capacity and this is expected to increase to 34 by 1985.Britain has continued to be in the forefront of the development of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes. In 1956 the world's first commercial-scale nuclear power station at Calder Hall (Cumbria) began to supply electricity to the national grid. Research and development work carried out in Britain has helped to increase know-ledge of fast reactors, which could make an important contribution to electricity supply in the future. Much of the work has been undertaken at Dounreay (Highland) where the Prototype Fast Reactor is in opération as the successor to the Dounreay Fast Reactor. British firms have built the reactors and associated equipment for the nuclear power programme and have a significant capability in this industry.Britain also has considerable experience of providing nuclear fuel services, including uranium enrichment (which is a prerequisite for many commercial reactors currently in opération) and the reprocessing of spent nuclear fuel (to facilitate radioactive waste management, and to recover unused uranium and the plutonium by-product for further use), and an increasing amount of this type of work is being or will be carried out in Britain for overseas electricity authorities. Advanced techniques are employed in these processes as in the enrichment plant opened at Capenhurst (Cheshire) in 1977. Enriched uranium is produced by the gas centrifuge process, a much more advanced process than the earlier commercial method of gaseous diffusion and one which uses only a small proportion of the electricity required by that process. Capacity for uranium enrichment and for reprocessing is to rise, in the latter case primarily as a resuit of a new thermal oxide reprocessing plant which is to be built atWindscale (Cumbria).High standards of safety are maintained in ali of Britain's nuclear plants and this is reflected in the industry's excellent safety record. Successive governments have recognised the fundamental importance of the safety, environmental and public acceptability aspects of all nuclear activities in Britain. A valuable safeguard is the séparation of the different responsibilities that arise out of the development of nuclear power.The Secretary of State for Energy is responsible under the Atomic Energy Acts for promoting and Controlling the development of nuclear energy and ensuring that the proper degrees of importance are attached to the various applications. The Secretary of State is responsible for the electricity supply industry in England and Wales, while in Scotland this is the responsibility of the Secretary of State for Scotland. The1 The term 'Britain' is used in forma Ily in this pamphiet to mean the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern !re!and.