Report was publlished on Tuesday

The nuclear industry has welcomed the final report from chief nuclear inspector Dr Mike Weightman into the lessons for the UK from the Japanese nuclear disaster at Fukushima.

Dr Weightman’s report, published on Tuesday, endorsed his interim findings, effectively giving the green light for a new generation of nuclear power stations.

In particular his report highlighted two findings of the interim report, that: “Flooding risks are unlikely to prevent construction of nuclear power stations at potential development sites in the UK over the next few years,” and that: “There is no need to change the present siting strategies for new nuclear power stations in the UK.”

Vincent de Rivaz, chief executive of EDF, which is planning to build four nuclear reactors in the UK, said Dr Weightman’s report was comprehensive and transparent. However, he added that its safety recommendations would lead to further costs.

De Rivaz said: “We will review his findings in detail and build them into our plans. We have committed to implementing his recommendations in full. We welcome his reaffirmation that ‘UK nuclear facilities have no fundamental safety weaknesses’.

“We invest more than £300m a year in our nuclear fleet. As a result of Fukushima we will invest more.”

Tom Foulkes, director general of the Institution of Civil Engineers said the report had “rightly set” high safety standards.

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