Shock at news of Oldbury nuke restart

News that Oldbury nuclear power station - 16 miles from Stroud - has possibly restarted today is a shock. I honestly thought there was no way they would consider such a move - it is probably the worst condition of this type of nuclear reactor in the world in terms of its graphite depletion. It is too greater risk to restart - independent scientists have warned us that this could be very, very dangerous - a case of profit before safety.

Photo: Severn further down from Oldbury

Read my news release yesterday here.

Last month it was also disturbing to read that Hinkley Point power station had been given a new bill of health for as "outrageous" - valid until 2017, providing a programme of works is carried out. This has opened the door to the power station having a life extension beyond its scheduled closing date of 2011 (although owners British Energy have not yet decided whether to apply for an extension).

Basically the regulators have contradicted their own safety predictions which said that most reactor core bricks would have cracked during this review period, including some that will be cleaved in half. It's outrageous to grant a license to a reactor in this condition. I do hope the news that Oldbury is restarting turns out not to be true - whether you support nuclear power or not both Oldbury and Hinkley restarting are crazy decisions.