This is a great piece. The UK almost got it right when it constructed Sizewell B, a PWR of Westinghouse 4 loop design, coming online in the mid 90s. Had it continued with the same design the state of UK nuclear would be much better.
It is always tricky to go back into the past and second-guess decisions that had to be made without the benefit of hindsight. One of the reasons why the AGR turned out to be a dead end is the fact that it can't undergo life extension unlike the standard pwr and bwr designs. But back when the UK committed to the AGR build-out, the possibility of life extension wasn't well understood yet.
Having already committed so much to Hinkley point C, Sizewell C surely makes sense. However I hope that the UK will make room for nuclear that is not from EDF. For large reactors, ABWR from Japan would be an excellent choice. For small reactors, maybe it's time to give local champion Rolls Royce a boost.
This is a great piece. The UK almost got it right when it constructed Sizewell B, a PWR of Westinghouse 4 loop design, coming online in the mid 90s. Had it continued with the same design the state of UK nuclear would be much better.
It is always tricky to go back into the past and second-guess decisions that had to be made without the benefit of hindsight. One of the reasons why the AGR turned out to be a dead end is the fact that it can't undergo life extension unlike the standard pwr and bwr designs. But back when the UK committed to the AGR build-out, the possibility of life extension wasn't well understood yet.
Having already committed so much to Hinkley point C, Sizewell C surely makes sense. However I hope that the UK will make room for nuclear that is not from EDF. For large reactors, ABWR from Japan would be an excellent choice. For small reactors, maybe it's time to give local champion Rolls Royce a boost.
Great detail, thanks for the piece
"a development that is most unexplained by Fall and Rise"
Should this be "mostly unexplained"?