I have been blogging recently about the Hinkley Point C reactor project in the U.K. This contract to build two reactors at an existing power station has generated a lot of controversy. There have been major technical problems with the EPR design being used by the French nuclear contractor EDF. The financing of the project which is going to include major investment by a Chinese consortium have raised serious questions. British unions are upset by the deal. The guarantee of a fixed price for the power generated for twenty years is also angering ratepayers. A decision is expected very soon to proceed with the project. One of the subject I have touched on but not detailed has to do with U.K. national security.
The U.K. government is offering a three billion dollar guarantee for the Chinese investors in the deal. The cost of the whole project is estimated to be about thirty seven billion dollars. Part of the deal includes allowing the Chinese consortium to build a Chinese designed Hualong One reactor in Bradwell in Essex employing Chinese labor. Security professional fear that allowing the Chinese to be involved in nuclear reactor construction could give the Chinese access to sensitive technical information about other nuclear reactors in the U.K. This information could be used by China in cyber-espionage against U.K. nuclear reactors. While there is currently a unwritten agreement between friendly nations not to attack each other's infrastructure, today's allies may be tomorrow's enemies and rules, especially unwritten ones, can be easily broken.
China began constructing the first Hualong One design reactor in China in May. They intend to build many of these reactors for domestic use and want to export the design to other countries. Being allowed to build a Hualong One reactor in Britain would be a big boost to Chinese hopes for international sales. U.K. security experts are afraid that the Chinese could build "trapdoors or backdoors" into their IT systems that would allow them to circumvent British security measures.
The office of the British Prime Minister has stated "We have the Office for Nuclear Regulation - which is our independent nuclear regulator - which has very strict regulations in place in terms of how nuclear plants are operated and the security around them and that has done all the due diligence and is content with things as they stand. But we will continue to ensure that all security and other regulations are followed at all times. We wouldn't be pursing this course of action if we felt there was a risk to security."
The Conservative MP for North Essex where the Chinese would build the Hualong One reactor has insisted that the British government create a "comprehensive assessment of the national security implications" of the Chinese project. He has said that if the government does not accede to his demand that the Joint Committee on National Security Strategy produce the report, the Commons Public Administration select committed that he chairs will undertake the task. He is worried that the government may bypass the usual planning procedures for such projects because they do not want to publicly discuss national security concerns.
Bradwell Nuclear Power Station currently being decommissioned:
