To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what information his Department holds on (a) the causes of the coolant leak at Sizewell A discovered on 7 June 2007 and (b) when it is understood the leak occurred. (280799)

The Department is not aware of a coolant leak which occurred at Sizewell A on 7 June 2007. It is assumed the question refers to the Sizewell A pond leakage event which was identified on 7 January 2007.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) lead on the investigation in this case and they have informed my Department that the cause of the leak was a vertical longitudinal split in a section of 8 inch diameter plastic pipe in the cooling pond recirculation system. The alarm was raised at 11:30 hours on Sunday 7 January 2007. HSE’s initial assessment is that due to the nature of the split in the pipe the breach is most likely to have happened suddenly and only a short time (no more than a few hours) before the alarm was raised.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether the Government has received any requests for additional resources from (a) the Nuclear Installations Inspectorate and (b) the Environment Agency as a result of the discovery of a coolant leak at Sizewell A on 7 June 2007. (280808)

I assume that the hon. Member is referring to the coolant leak at Sizewell A on 7 January 2007 as I am not aware of a coolant leak at the site on 7 June 2007.

Neither the Nuclear Installations Inspectorate nor the Environment Agency made a request to Government for additional resource as a result of the Sizewell A coolant leak event of 7 January 2007.