New report declares Britain's nuclear facilities safe
Britain's chief nuclear inspector has found no significant safety weaknesses in the UK's nuclear facilities following an extensive report into the Fukushima disaster that devastated Japan earlier this year.
Energy secretary, Chris Huhne, announced Dr Mike Weightman's findings to Parliament yesterday, effectively giving the go ahead to eight new nuclear reactors planned for the UK.
He said: "The report makes clear that the UK has one of the best nuclear safety regimes in the world and that nuclear power can go on powering homes and businesses across the UK, as well as supporting jobs."
Huhne did stress, however, that the UK must not become complacent. "No matter how high our standards, the quest for improvement must never stop," he noted. "We must continue to improve where we can, not just with operating power stations and new sites, but by dealing with our nuclear legacy in a robust and effective manner too."
Dr Weightman was commissioned to write the final report after the tsunami damaged Japan's Fukushima Daiichi plant in March this year.
His findings build on an earlier, interim report released in May, which confirm that the UK's current safety regime is working, and that regulators and industry should continue to work together to make continuous improvements to nuclear safety.
