SONE - Supporters of Nuclear Energy - Letter to The Sunday Times

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Letter to The Sunday Times

Written by Dr Alan Shaw
Sunday, 11 October 2009
Greenpeace's Ben Ayliffe (11th October 2009) states that Sizewell B nuclear power station took 13 years to build. In fact construction started 18 July 1988 and commercial operation commenced 22 September 1995 , or slightly over 7 years . Its cumulative load factor is 86.57 per cent for the full years of operation to 2008. (Source: © International Atomic Energy Agency). His statement that its construction cost taxpayers the equivalent of £4 billion requires examination. The station was owned and operated initially by the Central Electricity Generating Board and then passed to British Energy plc. The interest and amortisation charges on capital would be recovered from the price of electricity as sold to consumers both industrial and domestic during a 40 year lifetime of high electricity output from base load operation. As nuclear fuel cost per kWh is low the lifetime generating cost can expected to be competitive with the other lower load factor contributors to the generation mix. Perhaps the most remarkable fact about Sizewell B is the record breaking amount of evidence to the public inquiry which lasted from 1982 until 1985 and generated 16 miliion words. (Source : Sizewell B Wikipedia). This held back the start of construction, adding the non-productive cost of necessarily retained technical staff and labour to the final figure. Dr Alan Shaw (Retired ) ex National Nuclear Corporation Ltd (and predecessors) 1955-81

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