SlZEWELL B in Suffolk, Britain鈥檚 first commercial pressurised water reactor, went critical this week. John Collier, chairman of Nuclear Electric, the state-owned company that runs the plant, hailed it as a 鈥渕agnificent power station鈥�. He said Nuclear Electric is 鈥渇ully confident that everything is working normally鈥�.
Since the fuel was loaded, boron in the core鈥檚 coolant and control rods has prevented a chain reaction by absorbing free neutrons. This week, operators withdrew the control rods and diluted the coolant. The power output will be kept low over the next few weeks while monitoring and control equipment is tested.
The 1188-megawatt plant is crucial to Nuclear Electric鈥檚 income in the next century, and for privatisation plans that the government is considering. Its magnox reactors are due to shut down over the next decade and its advanced gas-cooled reactors are showing signs of ageing.
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