Tag: Paul Flynn

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Flynn on 2016-10-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, if he will estimate how many jobs will be created in Wales as a result of the construction of the Hinkley Point C nuclear power plant.

Alun Cairns

The UK Government does not hold the specific figures requested. The decision to proceed with the first new nuclear power station for a generation will provide a huge boost to the regional economy including South Wales. Construction at the Hinkley site will provide 26,000 jobs and apprenticeships, and 64% of the project’s costs will be spent in the UK.

Welsh companies are already taking advantage of the opportunities this project presents, for example, Express Reinforcements in South Wales was given preferred bidder status for a £100m contract to supply 200,000 tonnes of reinforcing steel for the project.

I would encourage businesses in Wales to register with EDF in order to take advantage of upcoming supply chain opportunities.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Flynn on 2016-10-13.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what resources she has made available to ensure that Article 16 of the Tuberculosis (England) Order 2014 is enforced.

George Eustice

Article 16 of the Tuberculosis (England) Order 2014 concerns the requirement of herd owners to comply with cleansing and disinfection of premises following removal of TB reactors.

APHA inspectors carry out spot checks on a proportion of Bovine Tuberculosis breakdown farms every year to ensure compliance with these statutory cleansing and disinfection requirements.

APHA employs 208 vets and 137 animal health officers who may be involved in the administration and enforcement of these measures as part of their field duties

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Flynn on 2015-10-22.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, how many meetings her Department has had with Westinghouse officials to discuss the potential partnership between Westinghouse, interested nuclear industry partners and the Government on developing small modular nuclear reactors.

Andrea Leadsom

Officials within my Department have met Westinghouse on two occasions to receive their proposal on small modular reactors (SMRs). Receipt of this proposal was acknowledged by officials and it will be considered as part of Government’s wider work on SMRs which includes evidence building through the techno-economic assessment and engagement with SMR vendors where appropriate.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Flynn on 2015-10-22.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what response she has made to the proposal put forward on 21 October 2015 for a partnership between Westinghouse and the Government to develop small modular nuclear reactors.

Andrea Leadsom

Receipt of the proposal was acknowledged by officials and it will be considered as part of Government’s wider work on SMRs, which includes evidence building through the techno-economic assessment and engagement with SMR vendors where appropriate.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Flynn on 2015-10-22.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what proportion of the safety issues identified in the Generic Design Assessment for the European Pressurised Reactor that EDF Energy plans to build at Hinkley Point C have still not been resolved to the satisfaction of the Office for Nuclear Regulation.

Andrea Leadsom

The Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR) has advised me that safety issues remaining at the end of Step 4 of Generic Design Assessment (GDA) of the European Pressurised Reactor were captured either as GDA Issues or Assessment Findings. GDA Issues are items that ONR requires to be addressed before a Design Acceptance Confirmation can be issued, successfully ending the GDA process, or before nuclear safety related construction can commence on site. All of the GDA Issues were addressed and closed by ONR in 2012. These Issues, the resolution plans to address them and information on their closure are published on ONR’s website:

http://www.onr.org.uk/new-reactors/

Assessment findings are addressed throughout the post GDA phase through routine regulation under the nuclear site licence.

“

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Flynn on 2015-10-22.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, for what reasons the construction cost of the planned Hinkley Point C power station has reduced from £24.5 billion to £18 billion.

Andrea Leadsom

The £24.5 billion figure included financing costs (interest and guarantee costs) assuminga £16 billion IUK guarantee. The £18 billion figure is not directly comparable as it does not include these financing costs.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Flynn on 2015-10-22.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, on what date her Department commissioned a study of the technical and economic options for small modular nuclear reactors; which organisation her Department asked to carry this out; what departmental resources have been committed to support this study; and when the final report of that study is expected to be delivered.

Andrea Leadsom

A range of studies has been commissioned by the Department of Energy and Climate Change in order to deliver a techno-economic assessment of small modular reactors. The organisations currently under contract to deliver projects for the techno economic assessment are: Atkins Limited (contracted on 22/7/15); Energy Technologies Institute LLP (contracted on 3/8/15); National Nuclear Laboratory Limited (contracted on 3/8/15); Checkendon Hill Ltd (contracted on 25/6/15); and Ernst and Young LLP (contracted on 201/10/15).

The total budget for this study is up to £4.5million excluding VAT. The equivalent of approximately 4 full time staff are supporting the study in my Department.

The final report will be delivered in Spring 2016.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Flynn on 2015-10-22.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, if she will make an assessment of the (a) causes and (b) effect of the construction delays of reactors in China and France built by the proposed vendors of reactors planned for Hinkley Point C and Bradwell; and what assessment she has made of the implications for her policies on the construction of new nuclear power stations of these delays.

Andrea Leadsom

Delays at the Olkiluoto 3 and Flamanville 3 reactors have resulted from a combination of technical, regulatory and contractual reasons, many of which are unlikely to be repeated at Hinkley Point C due to differing regulatory regimes, improved contracting arrangements and in light of the experience that the developer is gaining from these projects.

In addition, there are strong commercial incentives built into the contract for difference to minimise construction delays and cost overruns. The Contract for Difference (CfD) Strike Price cannot rise if there are construction cost over-runs so any cost overrun would have to be borne by the Project’s investors. Further, low carbon payments under the CfD will only be made once the plant starts generating. The incentives are therefore on the developer to deliver the Project within budget and on time, and if it succeeds in bringing it in under budget, there is a construction gainshare mechanism to ensure sharing of any savings with the consumer.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Flynn on 2015-10-22.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, how many visits her Departmental officials have made to China in support of the development of the Strategic Investment Agreement between EDF and China General Nuclear Corporation announced on 21 October 2015; how much each such visit cost; and if she will publish the minutes of each meeting held between UK and Chinese government officials on this agreement.

Andrea Leadsom

Officials visited China twice, in July and September, as part of my rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State’s visits at the same time. The cost of the first visit for the relevant officials was £8,900, the cost of the second visit was £6,750. I do not intend to publish minutes of the meetings, which discussed commercially sensitive information.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Flynn on 2015-10-22.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what assessment she has made of the potential threat to national security of the choice of the Chinese government company General Nuclear International as an investment partner for the development of the Hinkley Point C nuclear plant.

Andrea Leadsom

We have a robust system in the UK for examining whether investments into our country are in the national interest. Safety and security in the civil nuclear industry are of paramount importance to the Government. Companies involved in the UK nuclear industry must do so in accordance with the UK’s stringent regulations enforced by an independent regulator. On this basis we welcome companies which can demonstrate the capability to contribute to safe and secure nuclear power generation in the UK.

There is a longstanding convention of successive Governments not commenting in detail

on security and intelligence matters.