HSE thinks approvals for new reacrors will slip past June 2011.

Having been to the Olkiluoto site my only request to HSE is that, if and when, the reactors get the go ahead that we donot get the farsical situations that is happening in Finland and also now in Flammanville.

I know, STUK, the regulator from Finland ,is very professional but have massive problems with Areva and their management.


Safety regulator tells nuclear reactor makers to redouble efforts


It is increasingly unlikely that the UK's first nuclear reactors will get full regulatory approval by mid-2011, according to the Health and Safety Executive.

By Rowena Mason

Published: 6:30AM BST 26 Aug 2010

Areva's reactor is further ahead with the process than Westinghouse's reactor, but there are outstanding problems with both companies' designs

Areva, the French atomic specialist, and Westinghouse, its Japanese rival, had been hoping to gain full permission for their designs by next June, after a lengthy and meticulous assessment process.

However, the HSE warned yesterday that there was still a huge amount of work to be done before this point, suggesting that the timetable for building UK reactors could slip.

Proprietary traders should welcome tougher FSA testsAreva's reactor - intended for the first EDF stations at Hinkley Point in Somerset - is further ahead with the process than Westinghouse's reactor, but there are outstanding problems with both companies' designs and each has been slow at submitting crucial data.

"We are signalling that some ... work may be required by [Areva and Westinghouse] beyond June 2011, when we plan to complete our assessment of the reactor design safety cases.

"We are flagging up these issues, so that the requesting parties can either redouble their efforts to address them, or begin the process of developing credible resolution plans."

The HSE said it was still possible for both designs to be accepted for use in the UK but flagged up "not insignificant technical issues". It is still hoping to complete the assessment and issue partial approval in June 2011, giving each company a rigid timetable for fixing further problems.

A spokesman for Areva and EDF said the partners were "encouraged" that the regulator had given approval to more technical parts of its design and not identified "any showstoppers".

Areva received a warning last year about possible problems with its reactor over concerns that its operational systems had not been adequately separated from its safety systems.

A few months later, the HSE issued an alert about Westinghouse's nuclear reactor designs, raising concerns about the robustness of its concrete reinforcements.

Britain is planning to build 10 new nuclear power stations over the next few decades, the first of which is meant to be up and running by 2018.