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December 8, 1966

UK cancels plans to build fast breeder reactor in Scotland

In response to widespread public opposition, Minister for Technology Tony Benn [1] has announced the cancellation of the construction of an experimental reactor in Dounreay, Scotland [2]. Earlier this year, Benn’s predecessor Frank Cousins announced that the plant would be the site of a fast reactor that could conserve uranium and produce new nuclear fuel [3]. The planned reactor was to be of a similar type to the one that melted down two months ago near Detroit, USA, prompting concerning from both the public and members of Parliament over the plant.

Nine nuclear power stations currently operate in the country. [4] The UK is no stranger to nuclear accidents. In 1957, an accident occurred at the Windscale facility in the north of England that released radioactive material into the atmosphere. [5] The full extent of the accident remains unknown. Although the white paper report released at the time stated that there was “no immediate damage to health of any of the public or of the workers at Windscale", authorities banned milk from local farms and poured it into the Irish Sea. [6]