UK nuclear power group shuts reactor
Struggling nuclear group British Energy shut one of its reactors last night after a “minor electrical fault”, the group said today.
The group closed one of the reactors at the Heysham 2 station in Lancashire at around 5.30pm, a spokesman confirmed.
Spokesman Martyn Butlin said: “One of the reactors automatically shut down last night because of a minor electrical fault. It will be back up shortly.
“I don’t want to make it sound as though we are complacent but it is a fact of life – like sometimes your car doesn’t start.
“It happens regularly if not frequently. It is not uncommon for nuclear reactors.”
He stressed there were no safety risks.
Greenpeace campaigner Iain McSeveny said: “Just when you thought things couldn’t get worse for the nuclear industry, another of their stations shuts down.
“The closure of Heysham is the latest in a long line of failures for this industry.”
