A nuclear and nature partnership

Many industrial plants face hostility from both the community in general and local residents because of pollution, noise, traffic or smells. The nuclear power industry has been at the centre of much controversy because of the hazards posed by radioactive discharges. Whilst nuclear power stations in the United Kingdom have a good safety record, accidents such as those at Chernobyl in the Ukraine and Three Mile Island in the USA have damaged public confidence to such an extent that any further expansion of the industry is unlikely. Nuclear power offers some great advantages over electricity generation using fossil fuels, but the problems of disposable and long-term storage of waste, sometimes for over 1000 years, have seen gas and imported coal being preferred power sources.

The Visitor Centre at the nuclear power station at Hartlepool, built on reclaimed land close to the North Sea coast

The nuclear plant owners themselves have made great efforts to develop links with the community and the projects based on Hartlepool Power Station show the range of these links. The power station is built on land reclaimed for the sea on the coast north of the Tees Estuary in an area which is important for sea birds. In partnership with Hartlepool Council and English Nature, the power station has supported the development of Teesmouth National Nature Reserve. In addition to the usual facilities such as hides, a reserve management scheme has controlled the plant growth and water level so successfully that rare plants have now established themselves and the number of visiting birds and seals has increased. Coastal power stations rely on taking huge quantities of water from the sea to cool steam produced to power the turbines. There may be 500000 litres of water pumped in every minute and large numbers of fish are drawn in at the same time. Hartlepool has made a particular effort to alter the lighting around the intakes and has already reduced the numbers of fish sucked in by 50%. At the power station there is an exhibition showing the flora and fauna of the locality and this may be visited during working hours. For further information contact the Power Station Visitor Centre on 01429 853888.

Activity

Investigate the advantages and disadvantages of power generation using traditional and alternative energy sources. Why are the traditional sources of power - coal, oil, gas and nuclear - likely to provide most of our electricity well into the next century?