5.

V.

training of key HK personnel.

The AEA side emphasized that the studies so far done were technical documents directed at a specialised audience and not at all suitable for general public release. After some discussion, it was agreed that a public version should be prepared by the UKAEA and the Hong Kong Government working together. Mr Yaxley would nominate

a contact on his return to Hong Kong.

6. There was long discussion of phase II of the risk assessment study. The UKAEA had emphasized that Phase I was a study of the risks involved in the construction of a station of a type very similar to that being built at Daya Bay, built to normal European standards. Since there was no site-specific information available, it was necessarily specific.

It had been accepted by both parties that a more site -specific Phase II would require about 12 months work from the time when UKAEA received the necessary information. In discussion, the following points were made:-

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i. Mr Yaxley emphasized that for his purposes a site- specific study was essential;

ii. the AEA emphasized that they could not undertake a full "pre-construction site safety report" which could involve a team of 50 people working for several years, to judge by what the CEGB had found necessary for Sizewell;

iii. the AEA could, however, undertake to look over and "audit" studies prepared by the French;

iv.

the AEA emphasized that it was unknown whether the Daya Bay station was based on the latest French designs, based on post-1977 French standards. If it were, they estimated that the level of risk would be some 50 times lower than if the station were based on earlier French designs;

V. the AEA suggested that it would be something of a misallocation of resources to devote intensive study to the safety of the proposed reactor as such. Such study could only produce a more refined set of estimates of the frequency of accidents of different types.

What was, they suggested, of more practical importance to the Government and people of Hong Kong was the study of the possible environmental effects on Hong Kong of accidents of different types. Resources ploughed into this second part of the study would yield a better return;

vi. it was not entirely clear whether EDF would have undertaken a full probabilistic risk assessment of a station at Daya Bay, since it was not French domestic practice to make such assessments. Even, if they had not, however, the AEA would expect to be able to make a reasonable assessment by considering the information given on

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