[cdn-nucl-l] Happy Birthday Calder Hall

["Brown, Morgan" <brownmj@aecl.ca>]

I missed the date, but on Oct 17, the UK's Calder Hall (Magnox) had its 45th
birthday (of HM the Queen officially opening the first reactor of the 4-unit
set).  And it's still running (licenced up to 50 yrs, I believe), and has a
lifetime performance of 76.2% for the 4 units (72,126,322 MWhe gross).

Here's the snip from my nuclear chronology on the cns web site
(www.cns-snc.ca, go to "nuclear info & links" and the "Canadian Nuclear
history" page):

On October 17 1956, Calder Hall (Unit 1) in the UK was officially opened by
Her Majesty the Queen. This reactor was the first of four 60 MWe Magnox type
reactors connected together, and continues to operate today. Anthony Eden,
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, wrote the following for the occasion: 
	Of all the events which have taken place in this year 1956, history
may remember longest the day when Calder Hall began to feed electricity into
the national grid network. For the first time anywhere in the world nuclear
energy will be used to supply electricity on a large scale. This will be a
memorable day in man's forward march. It will be the outcome of ten years of
sustained work by British scientists and engineers.
	
	In 1946 we started our development programme with few resources
except the knowledge stored in the brains of a handful of scientists. Their
faith and their perseverance have opened up the prospect of a new industrial
era. That new era will be rich in opportunities for those countries which
have the skill and expertise to seize them. Calder Hall shows that we have
both. We have made a splendid start and I am confident that we will not fall
behind in the race in which we are engaged. 

	cheers
	Morgan Brown