By David Siddall

Last updated 15:48, Wednesday, 29 October 2008

ONE of the government advisors on the selection of sites for new nuclear reactors has branded Sellafield as “ a poor location for a modern nuclear power station.”

Rosie Mathisen: Improved grid connections will strike a balance

In an extract from his book Nukenomics: The commercialisation of Britain’s nuclear industry, Ian Jackson, who helped write the siting report for BERR/DTI, gives his views.

He writes that: “For example, despite its substantial nuclear workforce, the remote Sellafield complex in northwest England is a poor location for a modern nuclear power station because its electricity transmission infrastructure cannot carry the energy output of a large nuclear station.

“ Securing planning permissions from Cumbria County Council and capital investment from National Grid for major transmission upgrade stretching across the Lake District are key logistical and economic barriers at Sellafield.”

But speaking to The Whitehaven News this week Mr Jackson says a possible plan for an undersea electricity interconnector could improve Sellafield’s current position of eighth in potential new reactor sites.

The Whitehaven News also asked Mr Jackson about speculation by an unnamed county councillor that layers of historic plutonium in the sea off Sellafield would be churned up by any construction of cooling intakes for any new power station. Mr Jackson, who added he was a proponent of nuclear power, said: “I was aware of the potential issue of the plutonium in the Irish Sea silts, but I think it would be manageable.”

Mr Jackson’s report on the possible sites for new reactors was confidential until disclosure was forced by a Greenpeace FOI claim.

Rosie Mathisen, Cumbria’s nuclear opportunities manager, said: “Things have moved on from Mr Jackson’s report and the utilities have indicated potential initially for Sizewell, Hinkley Point, Oldbury and Wylfa, but Sellafield still has site potential as the need is seen as for 30-35 gigwatts.” She agreed with Mr Jackson that a possible future undersea power ‘interconnector’ would boost Sellafield's chances and that suspension of plutonium in the Irish Sea was “manageable by an engineered solution.”