ABSTRACT
The UK has a mature and moderately sized nuclear power programme, and a relatively large fuel reprocessing capability. Although the UK has had no nuclear power plant accidents to date, and only one major reprocessing accident (the Windscale fire in 1957: Breach, 1978, p. 91), as with other nuclear industries around the world, significant resources are spent on carrying out formal and highly technical risk assessments of all nuclear-related stations. Such assessments occur both during the design stages, and periodically throughout the installations’ lifetimes, until the plants are fully decommissioned, dismantled, and removed.
