Closing address

I have no prejudice for or against a particular reactor system. The world can surely afford more than one system - indeed it needs more than one system. If, in the UK context, the emergence of a competitor has been necessary to bring together and unify those working on gas-cooled reactors in the way which recent history, including this Conference, has clearly demonstrated, then I am for competition between systems. One of the messages from this Conference has been the recognition of the interdependence, not the competition, between the various gas-cooled versions.

The Conference opened with the significance of 1982 not only as the 21st anniversary of commercial nuclear power in the UK, but also as the 50th anniversary of the discovery of the neutron. The first reactor, a graphite moderated gas-cooled version, went critical about 40 years ago. Another important anniversary is that of the world's first steam generating power station which opened in London 100 years ago. It is now time to stop regarding nuclear power as something new and concentrate on making it more effective as an energy source.