Dear Editor,
So, as Fukushima continues to turn into an ever more serious catastrophe and as the Germans confirm that they are turning their back on nuclear, Britain decides it will be expanding nuclear power generation. With the Chinese as the driving force!
It is not clear to what extent the Chinese or the French will design and build the new units but the whole thing reminded me of a conversation that I had in Frankfurt: It was the time of the "Textile Fair" and I had fallen into conversation with a Pakastani businessman. I asked him whether he bought European or Chinese/Asian machinery for his factory and he replied that he only ever bought from the Germans despite their equipment being four times the price. He said it was simply too expensive for him to have plant standing idle while he waited for repairs to unreliable Chinese equipment.
So, regarding reliability, it's one thing to have to wait while a knitting machine is repaired but its quite another thing to have half the UK eradiated because of a hicough at Hinkley Point.
I wonder what the people of Sommerset think?
Regards
