Oct 24 - Evening Standard; London (UK)

British Energy could have to turn down the heat by 10% at five its key, but creaking, nuclear generators to keep them working, putting further strain on the country's electricity supply.

That is the "highly likely" scenario painted by respected energy analyst Mark Hives of Societe Generale, who reckons the government- controlled firm which at full capacity, including its Sizewell B reactor in Suffolk, accounts for a fifth of the country's power - could lose around 13% of its electricity output.

The prediction comes barely a week after the company admitted only one in eight of its nuclear power stations is working properly, sending its shares tumbling 24%.

Safety inspectors have already inspected boiler cracks at BE's advanced gas-cooled reactor at Hinckley Point in Somerset and Hunterston B in Scotland, but SocGen is concerned about inspections due over the coming months of two different nuclear "cores" within the same structures.

Hives reckons BE shares could fall by 110p a share if the company cuts boiler temperature at these and its other similar reactors from 1000F to 900F. BE shares today led the fallers among FTSE 100 companies, down 12p to 4251/2p. The shares have fallen 47% since mid- August. Generation only restarted this weekend at Sizewell B after planned maintenance work.

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