What is nuclear power?

Nuclear reactors and reprocessing plants were first designed and created to produce plutonium - for nuclear weapons. Electricity was simply a by-product. The first nuclear power station in Britain was built at Calder Hall in Cumbria, in 1953. And when this was connected to the national grid in 1956, it became the first nuclear power station in the world to provide electricity.

Today there are 12 nuclear power stations operating in the UK, generating just over 20 percent of the nation's electricity. Many still use aged Magnox reactors identical to, and including, the one built at Calder Hall. They were only designed for a maximum of 20 to 25 years' use, and yet the oldest stations are now more than 40 years old.