THE REACTOR at Heysham nuclear plant, which was closed last Tuesday following a fire, is expected to reopen next Sunday after an internal investigation, it was announced yesterday.
A spokesman for Nuclear Electric described the fire which broke out in a turbine at the Heysham plant, near Morecambe Lancashire, as a "smoulder".
"The smoulder occurred in the turbine hall when oil fumes caught fire on Tuesday morning. The reactor was shut at 10.38 a.m. and the fire was put out at 10.45 a.m. by two station staff using a dry foam extinguisher. The firemen arrived just to check it was properly out.
"End of problem. The reactor is still shut, but nothing dramatic happened. There is no question of anything nasty coming out of the plant, no radioactive leaks and nobody was injured. There was no danger to anyone in the plant or the public," he said.
The reactor, which is one of two at the Heysham One Plant, is expected to be reopened on Sunday after any necessary repairs are completed. It is believed the fire started after the turbine overheated.
Although the investigation is being carried out internally, the spokesman added that the plant's safety measures were tightly regulated by the Nuclear Installations Inspectorate.
The Minister of State for Energy, Mr Emmet Stagg, has expressed concern about the fire.
He complained that the Government had not been informed quickly enough by the British authorities about the incident.