THE CALDER HALL STORY WORLD'S FIRST NUCLEAR POWER STATION 48144

This film short celebrates the opening of Calder Hall, the world's first and oldest industrial-scale nuclear power station, at Sellafield in Cumbria. The plant was originally opened by the Queen in 1956 at the start of a new "Atomic Age." While the plant was ostensibly made to produce electricity, the main reason for building Calder Hall was to make plutonium for the nuclear weapons programme, a fact admitted five years after it was constructed. The station produced 180 megawatts of heat, most of which was used on site, but 40 megawatts of electricity went into the grid - tiny by comparison with a modern station. Calder Hall was the first of a series of magnox stations, so-called because the fuel cans were made of magnesium alloy. The second one, Chapelcross in Dumfries, was also built for military reasons. Altogether 11 stations, each slightly larger than the last, were eventually built, producing 10% of Britain's electricity. The plant was decommissioned in 2003 but it is expected to take many decades to decontaminate the site.
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This film is part of the Periscope Film LLC archive, one of the largest historic military, transportation, and aviation stock footage collections in the USA. Entirely film backed, this material is available for licensing in 24p HD, 2k and 4k. For more information visit www.PeriscopeFi...

[@adlam97531]

Calder hall of course was a bomb making factory and often took more out of the grid than it put in . So much for “electric too cheap to meter “

[@AlastairWalker]

I do hope Miss Goldring was well paid for her promotional work.

[@atomsmash100]

3:40, oh my she's SO English

[@jonathanhawkins2227]

AtomSmash bring back those days!

[@badmutherfunster]

Ahhhh, those were the days, clean safe nuclear power and let's irradiate every thing to make it better

[@lewiemcneely9143]

A sandwich that acts as a nite light. How clever.

[@dancostello6465]

So they made a big bomba?

[@lewiemcneely9143]

Thnks, Periscope. No they won't blow up BUT they'll sure melt down. Good old Windscale. And Calder has to be close and a cousin of it. And it's VERY amazing that all this power is so cheap it won't even be measurable. Seems like there are liars all over. Thanks again, Periscope and watch your dosimeter! And the waste that will last forever. How interesting.

[@COIcultist]

I was waiting for the *"Power too cheap to meter"* phrase but alas it wasn't used in this film.

[@lewiemcneely9143]

@@COIcultist I suppose even the dummies have figured out we got lied to BIG time on that rash. Probably not the liberals. Still too dense.

[@NickPeters-ug7vk]

Yes .. i have complete confidence and trust in the british politician and scientist .. they would never lie ... would they ?

[@lewiemcneely9143]

Just like the u.s. They'd never lie unless they thought they could pull it off.

[@richardkell4888]

I love it when she gets serious at 03:47 .....

[@jec_ecart]

Superb video.

[@alexhorky6454]

“Energeyyyy” 😂