A leaked document says that the new type of fast breeder reactor likely to be used in Blair’s next generation of nuclear probably couldn’t withstand a September 11th style attack with an airliner. The European pressurised water reactor (EPR) has been designed to withstand a collision by a military jet, but assurances about airliners are based upon extrapolation.

This assumption, according to independent nuclear engineer, John Large, is “entirely unjustified”. This “reflects what seems to be an almost total lack of preparation to defend against the inevitability of terrorist attack,” he says.

Technorati tag: Nuclear Power, Terrorism